Here: Everything We Know So Far About Robert Zemeckis' Graphic Novel Adaptation Starring Tom Hanks
Legendary filmmaker Robert Zemeckis has always loved a good technical challenge. His early classics like "Back to the Future" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" balance their visual effects wizardry with precise storytelling. Even his infamous motion-capture animated movies are pretty seamless in terms of their narratives, once you look past their uncanny CG humans. But ever since his return to live-action directing 10 years ago, Zemeckis has too often sacrificed good storytelling in favor of showcasing new film tech.
His latest project, "Here," will once again put Zemeckis' technical know-how to the test. It also sounds a whole lot more ambitious than his last two movies as a director ("The Witches" and "Pinocchio"). Is that a good thing? Zemeckis' previous film right before that pair, 2018's "Welcome to Marwen," was so ill-conceived and mishandled, it's hard not to worry about him taking another huge swing at this stage in his career. Still, for my money, I would rather see Zemeckis fall flat on his butt again trying to hit a home run than not try at all.
So, with that in mind, let's break down what we know about "Here" so far (its decidedly SEO-unfriendly title aside).
What is Here about?
"Here" is based on Richard McGuire's graphic novel of the same name, which was published in 2014. According to the synopsis posted by Deadline, the film is centered on "a single geographic location in New England — starting as wilderness and later becoming the site of a home – where a story of love, loss, struggle, hope, and legacy play out between couples and families over generations."
Right off the bat, you can see why Zemeckis would be interested in adapting "Here" for the big screen. Single-setting stories require a deft hand behind the camera to work, lest they feel like little more than a recorded play. But far more than a chamber piece, "Here" has the makings of a sweeping yet intimate epic spanning decades if not centuries. For me, its logline brings the Wachowski Sisters and Tom Tykwer's "Cloud Atlas" to mind, which is all the more fitting since they also share a key actor...
Who is working on Here?
Tom Hanks is slated to star in "Here," making this his fifth time working with Zemeckis as a director over a nearly 30-year span that's seen them team up on "Forrest Gump," "Cast Away," "The Polar Express," and "Pinocchio." The "Forrest Gump" reunion doesn't end there, either. The Jenny to Hanks' Forrest, Robin Wright is also starring in the film, with Hanks' "The Da Vinci Code" co-star Paul Bettany and Zemeckis' "Flight" lead Kelly Reilly among those rounding out the ensemble.
Joining Zemeckis behind the camera as the film's writer is "Forrest Gump" scribe Eric Roth, with his more recent credits including the scripts for "A Star Is Born" and "Dune: Part One." Indeed, given the rich wealth of talent involved, the hope is "Here" will have hew closer to the likes of "Contact" and "Cast Away" — mature, thought-provoking movies in which Zemeckis uses cutting-edge tech to serve the story, and not vice versa — than its directors' offerings from the last several years.
Is that hope in vain? Perhaps, but so long as Zemeckis wants to keep making movies, I'll keep crossing my fingers for a late career renaissance.