Ridley Scott to direct 'The Last Duel'

[T Dog]

The official word in the production is that they are locking down for 2 weeks and then will recommence (not going to happen!).

Also they might need to recast Affleck due to scheduling conflicts (he had only shot 2 days up until now).

[The Old One]

Hope it is successful enough to encourage the creation of the final Alien Prequel, whether Ridley Scott's the Director or a Producer, I'm onboard.

[Necronomicon II]

Preferably producer, I love Scott but getting in someone like Rob Eggers, young talent, etc, would be a dream.

[The Old One]

Yes I absolutely agree.

[Ingwar]

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the globe, Hollywood has been brought to a standstill. TV and movie productions have been put on hold, as the industry — along with millions in other businesses — is social distancing.

One such project that's been paused is "The Last Duel," Ridley Scott's upcoming drama set in 14th century France starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The movie stopped production this month after shooting abroad and will presumably resume when things go back to normal. (As a result, the release date of the 20th Century Studios release, scheduled for later this year, might need to change.)

Scott calls the move "sensible," as self-isolating has become critical to slowing the spread of the fatal disease. The prolific 82-year-old director (the "Alien" franchise, "Gladiator," "Blade Runner," "The Martian," etc.) is now back at home in Los Angeles, keeping up on the news. He has plenty of thoughts about how politicians — from Donald Trump to British prime minister Boris Johnson — are handling the pandemic all over the world, which he shared with Variety.

What's the latest update on the production of "The Last Duel"?

We, of course, sensibly put the film on hold. I finished in France after shooting for a month and decided it was sensible to close down for the time being. We're a month in and it looked fantastic. The period is 1360, so we're back to medieval France and it's kind of interesting. Back about two weeks ago, we decided to hold it out because it's silly to continue and wait for the inevitable to happen. We were set to go to Ireland in a week and it was a natural break, so I said, "Why don't we stop here and we'll return?"

What do you think about the way that politicians are handling the coronavirus crisis?

Particularly with this orange-headed fellow that's running us, he's a nutcase, isn't he? [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo made a name for himself, he's put himself on the map certainly. Looking at the globalization of the politicians that are running the world, half the time being run by idiots and the other time by despots, there are very few worthwhile ones, if you know what I mean. No one wants to go into politics. If anyone has half a brain they wouldn't want to go into politics anyway, right?

What would you suggest that leaders should be doing differently?

I'm a war baby, so, in the war years, we had rationing. People could not binge on food, we had ration books with coupons where you were at a limited amount that you could buy. They should do that now because people are buying so much food and then the food is rotting. In England as well, I mean, Jesus, Boris [Johnson], get out your thinking cap, 'cause what we're now talking on is an iPhone, a perfect coupon distributor to limit what you can buy each time you go to the shops. And that way, you have order. You must have order and calm.

What do you think about how the media has handled it? The difference between the news networks is outrageous.

Yes, insane. People still think it's a kind of political hoax, I mean what are you, crazy? I still think CNN's the best and they are in dismay at how it's not being handled properly.

What do you think needs to be done to stop the spread?

If we stay indoors for the given amount of time, they get a handle on it to understand what's going on. The irony is that for the most part, it'll be an experience of mild to severe flu for most people and old geezers like me have gotta watch my back. And I am. I'm being very cautious, I want to return and finish off the film with Matt Damon.

Are you doing anything in particular to pass the time?

I'm a big painter. I resumed painting 10 years ago. My whole grounding is in art school. I paint all the time.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/ridley-scott-the-last-duel-coronavirus-1203545705/

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Interesting find Ingwar. I like how outspoken he is. 

orange-headed fellow that's running us, he's a nutcase

Scott has now [almost] lived through the two biggest events in modern human history.

[Ingwar]

Interesting find Ingwar. I like how outspoken he is. 

[The Old One]

He's right.

[Ingwar]

According to Matt (07:50) they still have 8 weeks of shooting left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B4ejJo5wOA

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

So Matt was just patiently hanging out in Ireland all the time? T Dog said earlier that "the official word in the production was that they were locking down for 2 weeks and then will recommence" so I guess that's why he decided to stay but then they closed the borders and got stuck.

A few countries have already opened up their film and television industries so I guess Ireland will follow soon as well. The only problem with this production though is the huge amount of extras (thousands) they are going to need. Might not be so easy to get permission to do that yet.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones, Justice League, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) will also be appearing in The Last Duel and will play Bernard Latour.



Bernard de Latour was married to Jean de Carrouges' sister and was present at the secret family council called together after the rape. Count Pierre also later summoned him to his court in order to investigate the rape allegations.

[Ingwar]

The only problem with this production though is the huge amount of extras (thousands) they are going to need. Might not be so easy to get permission to do that yet.

That only problem is the biggest problem unfortunately. Somehow I cannot see it being done unless the lockdown is fully abolished. Unless there is some crazy legal way to bypass the restriction in case of filming.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Unless there is some crazy legal way to bypass the restriction in case of filming.

Scott Free and Fox could always bribe the Irish government I suppose... 

But seriously, this film will bring in a lot of money for the country and create many jobs. I'm sure they can work something out with the necessary safety measures.



Caoimhe O'Malley (Dublin Murders, Reign, Writing Home) will play "Elizabeth".



Can't remember an Elizabeth from the book and there's nothing in the book's glossary. Could perhaps be one of Marguerite's handmaidens I suspect.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Not much, but hey, it's something: 

Souvenir from The Last Duel in France. Photo on May 12th. #TheLastDuel

[Ingwar]

At least we know how official logo looks like