'Heroes & Villains' Will Be A New Take On Superheroes From 'Under The Silver Lake' Director David Robert Mitchell
David Robert Mitchell, director of It Follows and Under the Silver Lake, is setting his sights on the world of superheroes. Mitchell will direct Heroes & Villains for MGM, which is being described as "a new take on superheroes." Make of that what you will! Knowing Mitchell's work, the end results are likely to be very interesting, even if they're not 100% successful.THR has the scoop on Heroes & Villains, and it's my least favorite type of scoop because it contains the dreaded reveal that plot details are being kept "under waps." All they will say is that the movie is "described as a new take on superheroes." That doesn't sound like the most exciting news in the world, since the last two decades have been devoted to the movies trying to find "a new take" on superheroes.
The one thing that makes this news stand out is director David Robert Mitchell. Mitchell made a name for himself with his second film, It Follows. Critically praised and well-received by audiences, the movie – which turned an STD into a malevolent, supernatural force – was inventive and original, and signaled Mitchell as someone to pay attention to. He followed It Follows up with Under the Silver Lake, a film that befuddled a lot of people – including A24, who snapped up the rights to distribute the pic, and then basically sat on it, unsure of how to handle the release.
When Under the Silver Lake was finally (barely) released, it was easy to understand the hesitation. The movie is wild – a sprawling, over-long, often confusing neo-noir. It's not exactly what I would call a successful movie, but it is interesting – and sometimes, that's enough. With Silver Lake, Mitchell is really going for it, swinging for the fences to attempt to create a truly singular work of art. No matter what you think of the movie you have to appreciate the gusto behind it. With all that in mind, I'm very curious to see what the filmmaker will do with superheroes. I'm sure it'll be unconventional, to say the least.
Per THR, Mitchell has been secretly working on this project for a while and already has a completed script. Casting is expected to begin shortly. MGM will distribute while Mitchell will produce with Chris Bender and Jake Weiner of Good Fear Content.