BBC News links to the trailer for the upcoming CITY OF EMBER. The $50-million science fiction film stars Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau. Based on a novel by Jeanne du Prau, the story is set in an underground city, built to protect the human race from inhospitable conditions on the surface; unfortunately, the city’s 200-year expiration date is coming up.
Co-financed by Ireland Screen and produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the production was filmed partly in Belfast last year; the historic “Paint Hall” in the Titanic Quarter provided s suitable setting for an “underground” world:
Martin Landau said: “It’s amazing. It’s quite an amazing set, extensive and tall and comfortable. I would say it’s quite remarkable.”
The production design looks interesting, but Murray seems out of place, and the emphasis on young protagonists forebodes of a juvenile tone.
The film is scheduled for an October 10 release in the U.S.