On the heels of filming ‘A Common Man’ with Sir Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross, Director Chandran Rutnam is already planning his next project. To begin filming in early 2012, the movie adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Toomai of the Elephants’ will feature Pierce Brosnan and Omar Sharif. The former will be cast as the ‘great white hunter’ Peterson Sahib and the latter as Machu Appa. “It’s a lovely story,” Mr. Rutnam told the Sunday Times, explaining that he has long wanted to revisit the universe of Jungle Book in film. To be shot in 3D, it is scheduled for release late next year.
The movie will be written and directed by Mr. Rutnam himself, and in fact he says the script has been ready for years. The short story it is based on belongs to the Jungle Book but does not feature the series’ best known protagonist. Instead Mowgli is replaced by another young boy. Toomai is keen to work with elephants but because he is so small and it is unsafe, he is told that he will not be allowed to do so ‘until thou hast seen elephants dance,’ i.e never. Still Toomai is not put off and does in fact succeed in his quest. It’s a coming of age story, quite suitable for the whole family.
Central to Kipling’s story was the old elephant Kala Nag. Mr. Rutnam says he will be bringing down a coterie of animal actors from Hollywood to fill such key roles. As for the parts that must be played by humans, he’s well pleased with the talent. “I initially had Sean Connery in mind but Sean is not acting anymore,” he says explaining that he feels Pierce has grown into the part. “Omar was always my choice as Machu Appa,” he adds, anticipating scenes in which the two actors will share the screen. “It’s about the two older guys and their relationship with the young boy. They learn together, the mysteries, the enchantment and the rituals of the jungles.”
This is the second adaptation of Toomai for the big screen – the first was in 1937, when Robert J. Flaherty directed Sabu Dastagir in ‘Elephant Boy’. With over seven decades separating the two attempts, Mr. Rutnam will have considerably more technology at hand for his film and in fact intends to produce a 3D version under the guidance of experts imported for the purpose. He estimates that there will be at least five cameras on hand for the purpose of filming in 3D. “It’s going to be a very big picture,” he says, explaining that they will begin prepping for the film in January but that Brosnan and Sharif are expected to fly in for shooting in March. He intends to film entirely around Sri Lanka, making good use of the jungle terrain available.
In the meantime, post production on ‘A Common Man’ is well underway, with sound design having been outsourced to Hollywood. Mr. Rutnam expects the film will be released by the end of this year. |
E-mail
