Since my post (which you can read
HERE) about my friend Mark Hogancamp is my most popular post to date, it seemed like I should give you guys an update about what's new in Marwencol. Big things are happening! It was recently announced that filmmaker,
Robert Zemeckis, has plans to make Mark's life into a feature film! And, of course, Mark will hopefully be played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Of course. Here's the full article from
cinemablend.com:
Robert Zemeckis To Direct Adaptation Of Fascinating Documentary Marwencol
Back on April 8, 2010 a man named Mark Hogancamp was assaulted by a
group of five men outside of a local bar. The beating he recieved was so
severe that he wound up being in a coma for nine days and suffered
permanent brain damage and almost complete memory loss. Unable to afford
the proper therapy and rehabilitation, he began to explore the world
through his own imagination and the result was Marwencol, 1/6-scale
World War II-era Belgian town that Hogancamp built in his backyard and
populated with characters from his own life - including his friends,
relatives, and even the teens who attacked him. In 2010 filmmaker Jeff
Malmberg believed the story to be fascinating enough to warrant its own
documentary, and now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, director Robert Zemeckis is going to turn it into a full fledged feature.
In addition to following the fascinating way in which Hogancamp worked
to repair his mind, the documentary also followed the story as the
photographs of Marwencol are discovered and published, leading the
"artist" to become a figure in the New York art scene.
Caroline Thompson, who previous credits include Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, and The Nightmare Before Christmas
is handling the screenplay while Universal is backing the project. The
feature will reportedly "blend fantasy and reality," much like how
Hogancamp's mind works.
After years of exploring the possibilities of motion capture technology, making movies like The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol,
this will be Zemeckis' second feature after returning to the world of
live action filmmaking. Last year he began this comeback with Flight,
which received a largely positive critical response and Oscar
nominations for both Best Actor (Denzel Washington) and Best Original
Screenplay (John Gatins).
Whether or not the movie will end up being Zemeckis' next project
remains a bit of a mystery. Late last year it was reported that the
director was interested in re-teaming with Forrest Gump/Cast Away/Polar Express star Tom Hanks on the sci-fi story Major Matt Mason, but he the filmmaker is also attached to helm both the young adult novel adaptation Chaos Walking and a possible Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel. Personally, I really hope Marwencol
is next as it not only sounds like the most original premise in the
group, but also because I would love to see what Zemeckis could do with
the material.
