Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

The Dark Fields

4/5/10 British actress Anna Friel is in negotiations to play Bradley Cooper's ex-wife in the medical thriller Dark Fields, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Cooper stars as down-and-out writer who gets his hands on a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that makes one smarter. He experiences sudden financial and social success but soon discovers that the drug has lethal and lasting side effects, including "trip-switching," a phenomenon in which time moves with a stop-motion quality. Before long, mysterious antagonists are pursuing him.  Friel's character is a woman who was a go-getter before their breakup. Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish already are cast in the movie, which Universal Pictures will distribute on behalf of indie producer Relativity's Rogue Pictures. Neil Burger will direct.

3/5/10 – Variety reported that Robert De Niro will join Bradley Cooper in The Dark Fields.  The film, which also stars Elizabeth Banks, follows a down-and-out New York writer (Cooper) who discovers a designer drug that makes him smart, successful and rich.  But when his supply runs out, he quickly finds his life in peril.  De Niro will play a financial mogul who pursues the writer.

11/6/09 - Bradley Cooper is set to star in Dark Fields, a thriller being directed by Neil Burger for Relativity Media, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  The story follows a down-and-out writer (Cooper) who gets his hands on a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that makes one smarter. He experiences sudden financial and social success but soon discovers that the drug has lethal and lasting side effects, including "trip-switching," a phenomenon in which time moves with a stop-motion quality. Before long, mysterious antagonists are pursuing him.  The script is based on the book by Alan Glynn, with the screenplay written by Leslie Dixon.  Universal will distribute via Relativity's Rogue Pictures.  Fields is being produced by Leslie Dixon and Scott Kroopf as well as Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh. Relativity's Tucker Tooley will serve as executive producer.

9/18/08 - ComingSoon.net spoke with director Neil Burger and confirmed he would start shooting Dark Fields with actor Shia LaBeouf in New York City sometime this winter. Based on the 2002 novel "The Dark Fields" by Alan Glynn, the Universal Studios thriller is about a pill that makes you smarter and it's Burger's first film directed based on someone else's script. Burger said the subject matter isn't handled in a science fiction way.  "It's more like if there's viagra or steroids, why isn't there something that increases your synaptic connections and makes you think smarter and faster, but it's not without side effects and consequences."

04/14/08 - Shia LaBeouf has signed on to star in Universal's SF techno thriller Dark Fields.  Neil Burger will direct the movie, which is based on Alan Glynn's 2002 novel The Dark Fields.  Story centers on a young man who comes into possession of the ultimate smart pill and the events that ensue.

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