Ridley Scott to direct 'The Last Duel'

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

When it comes to than summary it might be in the movie (if it happens) as they will probably shorten the story to make it more dramatic.

Spoiler

Carrouges fighting in Scotland while his wife being raped is better option than him travelling to Paris to collect some money.

[close]

Sounds like a good idea, it comes at the expense of historical accuracy but it should definitely make the film more interesting.

Any battles or sieges? Quote from the book:

Spoiler

(...)

The combined army of French and Scots, about five thousands strong, finally march from Edinburgh in early July. (...) Eventually they called a halt at Wark, a fortress build on a rocky outcrop above the Tweed.

Reconstruction of Wark Castle

[close]

Ok, so maybe they'll film the siege of Wark Castle then. It's a small castle like Chalus Castle in Robin Hood but this one looks built to withstand cannon fire with it's rounded shape as gunpowder was starting to become more prevalent during the late middle ages.

What I like about this story is that it's not black and white. Sure, Le Gries raped his friend wife which was bloody horrible but what Carrogues did in Scotland was

Spoiler

savage as f**k. Another quote from the book:

Jean de Carrouges and his comrades  threw themselves into the maelstrom of war, slaughtering enemy soldiers and civilians alike, seizing livestock, and carrying off any valuables. A French chronicler reports that his countrymen brought "murder, pillage and fire" to the land, "destroying all by sword or fire, mercilessly cutting the throats of peasants and anyone else they met, sparing no one on account of rank, age, or sex, not even the elderly or the infant at the breast".

[close]

Haha, yes all too true. So much for misconceptions of Knightly chivalry and valour. It was a brutal age.

Dr. Nancy Caciola, one of the historians who served as an adviser on Kingdom of Heaven had this to say about the people of that time:

As a professional historian, I have spent much time with medieval people, so to speak, in the texts that I read; and quite honestly there are very few of them that if I met in the flesh I feel that I would be very fond of.

And that's also how Le Gris and de Carrouges got so rich - plundering.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Honestly, I think Driver is a better actor than Affleck, so I'm cool with this.

[Ingwar]

It was a brutal age.

Big time. Another quote from the book:

The prosecution and punishment of rape often depended on the victim's social class and political clout. In France women convicted of lesser crimes like theft were often put to death, while many males guilty of rape escaped with a mere fine - compensation that was often paid not to the victim herself but to her father or husband, since rape counted less as sexual violence against a woman than as a property crime against her male guardian.

(...) And in France, the female victim, no matter what her social standing, high or low, could not bring charges in the first place without the cooperation of her husband, father, or male guardian. May rape victims, threatened afterwards by their attackers with shame and dishonor, chose to keep silent rather risk ruining their reputation, or that of their family, by making the crime public. So if in theory rape was a serious crime for which the law provided heavy penalty, in practice it often went unpunished, unprosecuted, and even unreported.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Not a good time to be born as a woman.

You all heard that phrase, "a rule of thumb"? I bet a lot of radical feminist still use it without even knowing the origin. At one point in medieval England there was growing concern over the amount of female deaths as a result of wife-beating. So the King declared a new law which basically said, it's cool to beat your wife provided that you don't use a stick any thicker than your thumb. The idea being that a thinner stick would be less likely to lead to a fatal beating. Nasty times...

Honestly, I think Driver is a better actor than Affleck, so I'm cool with this.

Affleck is the more experienced actor but Driver might have more raw talent. Either way, Driver certainly gained a lot of experience with a broadsword on Star Wars. 

[Ingwar]

Not a good time to be born as a woman.

The saddest thing is the fact that this is still happening in some parts of the world. And it's 21st century.

Adam Driver is only 35 but he worked with: Eastwood (J. Edgar), Spielberg (Lincoln), Jarmusch (Paterson and The Dead Don't Die), Coen brothers (Inside Llewyn Davis), Scorsese (Silence), Soderbergh (Logan Lucky), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) and Gilliam (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote). Impressive list.

He also knows how to play a squire

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

He also knows how to play a squire

True, true, I completely forgot about Don Quixote. Alright guys, you have me convinced, Driver is the man for the job.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

A bit more from Matt Damon on how the writing collaboration on The Last Duel worked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEonD3yf5sM

[Ingwar]

Great find 8th! Looking forward for more info about this project. It seems like it's gonna happen even though it hasn't been officially confirmed by the studio.

Damon walked the red carpet for the premiere of his new biographical drama Ford v Ferrari at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Monday, and he stopped to chat with ET's Matt Cohen about where things stand for The Last Duel, and his experiences working with Affleck for the first time since Good Will Hunting.

"Well, we're getting a green light imminently, I hope," Damon said.

"It's just this really interesting story of perspective, and so Ben and I wrote the male perspectives and Nicole wrote the female perspective and I think it could be really interesting," Damon shared. "So I'm looking forward to making it next year."

https://www.etonline.com/matt-damon-shares-an-update-on-the-last-duel-with-ben-affleck-exclusive-135653

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Good to hear Matt Damon thinks the film will soon be in the green zone.

I've ordered the book as well since I'm doubtless going to get spoilered sooner or later while following the production.

[Ingwar]

Enjoy reading. I haven't finished it yet as I'm hooked by Disco Elysium right now. What a game!

[The Old One]

Disco Elysium is amazing.

[Ingwar]

Disco Elysium is amazing.

Big Time.

The Last Duel, from Fox, is set for a limited release date of Dec. 25, 2020, and will get a wide release on Jan. 8, 2021. Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer have leading roles in the film, with Ben Affleck on board in a supporting capacity. Last Duel recounts the real-life revenge drama surrounding the last legally sanctioned duel in France and is based on Eric Jager's book.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/disney-sets-2021-release-ridley-scotts-last-duel-pushes-back-kings-man-7-months-1255349

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Greenlit already? That was fast! No stopping Scott if he really wants to make a movie eh? 

So we will be watching this almost a year from now.

Anyway, here's your next book Ingwar: 

[Ingwar]

Haha, nice one 8th! However, I think I'm gonna skip that book as I'm not into biographies and books about rich people. I'm working class hero

But ... who knows, I might read it once movie will be greenlit.

So we will be watching this almost a year from now.

Which is crazy when you think about it. They haven't even started shooting yet!

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Yeah well, Ridley is a fast worker. If they give him the money he'll knock it out quickly. Although I prefer it back when he took his time to make a movie. It sounds like he wants to film the Gucci movie next year as well.

Since Scott's doing The Last Duel for Disney/Fox it will be interesting to see how it performs at the box office and how it affects the chances of a Covenant sequel (if at all).