Heat is on in Brown thriller
Ron Howard directs Tom Hanks, leading a stellar cast, in the eagerly awaited thriller ‘Inferno’, opening today
ACADEMY Awardwinning filmmaker Ron Howard came up against plenty of challenges during the making of Inferno, the latest in author Dan Brown’s famous Robert Langdon trilogy to hit the big screen.
Take filming in and around historic locations in Florence where there are, understandably, punishing time constraints.
Often, too, they were working in searing summer heat, and, choreographing complex action sequences featuring a host of extras and daring stunts.
But, most of all, it was all about doing justice to a novel that is loved by millions and making it into a riveting film.
Howard and Tom Hanks, who plays Harvard symbologist Langdon, have been joint keepers of the cinematic legacy of Brown’s best-selling books for years – they made the hugely successful The Da Vinci Code back in 2006 followed, three years later, by Angels & Demons.
Inferno is their fifth film in a creative partnership stretching back more than 30 years to Splash in 1984 and Apollo 13 in 1995.
Howard and Hanks are close friends and, as filmmakers, clearly have the same vision – produce your absolute best work for the audience. So how does Howard sum up being at the helm of the huge production that is Inferno?
“These films are hard work,” Howard said. “And you feel a lot of responsibility because they’re books that people love.”
But, while The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons led Langdon to try and crack a mystery rooted deeply in the past, Inferno tackles a bang-up-to-the-minute theme: overpopulation.
Ben Foster plays Betrand Zobrist, a brilliant scientist who is convinced mankind is heading for catastrophe because of a rapidly increasing population. He believes the only way to save the world is to wipe out millions of people and is prepared to unleash a deadly virus to do it.
Langdon is the only man who can stop him, searching for clues in 13th century Italian poet Dante’s epic work, Divine Comedy, which begins with Inferno and his nightmarish depiction of hell.
The story hooked in Howard immediately. “I felt very excited about this opportunity creatively as a director because Inferno combines two things: an idea that an audience can connect with in a very modern contemporary way; a thriller that is driven by something that we all think about.
“It’s a controversial idea that doesn’t deal with the past – it’s all about the present. And the other thing is that it’s a great role for my friend Tom and it’s great to see him back on the clue path, but it’s also fantastic to see the kind of dramatic opportunities and acting opportunities that this particular thriller gives him.”
The premise is intriguing – two towering intellects, Zobrist and Langdon, battling each other when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
And one of those intellects is severely hampered: when we first meet Langdon he is waking in a Florence hospital suffering from amnesia.
Zobrist is a fascinating, formidable opponent, not least because he is charming, fiercely bright and clearly believes in his theory and his radical, deadly solution for the “greater good”.
“That’s sort of central and really compelling about the movie,” Howard said.
“That’s what makes it a modern thriller and, I think, makes the action all the more personal for the characters, because it is a compelling argument.”
Inferno, Howard said, was a movie that would both entertain and provoke discussion.
Joining Hanks, Foster and Jones (who plays Langdon’s doctor, Sienna Brooks) is one of India’s biggest stars, Irrfan Khan, who plays Harry Sims, “The Provost”; Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen (Dr Elizabeth Sinskey) and French star Omar Sy (Christoph Bruder).
The Langdon movies have become a hugely successful franchise but Howard pointed out that both he and Hanks approached each film as a stand-alone.
“The continuity is this fascinating character, Robert Langdon, and Tom bringing that character to life in the way he does, which is exciting and fun to be around when you’re working on the film.”
Howard recalled that when he first discussed who could play the super-smart, hugely likable symbologist with his producing partner, Brian Grazer, there was only one actor on their list.
“I love the fact that this is a franchise built around a thinking man – a person who is not a man of action and yet gets involved in these exciting, suspenseful mysteries,” Howard said.
Although Inferno honours the novel it was drawn from, there is new material in there too.
“There are a number of interpersonal relationships that really, really factor into the plot and the mystery as well.
“And there are a lot of twists and turns, some things are not even in the book that are sort of new territory that we extrapolated from these characters, and I’m very proud of that because you get to learn more about Langdon on an emotional level than you have before.”
Brown was involved as a consultant as the film developed and went into production.
“He’s an executive producer on this so he reads all the scripts and sees the cuts and has control as they relate to the character, to protect the Robert Langdon character for future books,” Howard said.
ý Catch Inferno at Baywest, The Bridge, The Boardwalk and Walmer Park.