Joseph Gordon-Levitt may have lost out on a possible Oscar nod when Oliver Stone’s timely drama Snowden bowed out of this year’s awards circuit, but the actor still has a horse in the race, so to speak, with Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming real-life drama, The Walk.
Boasting a near unparalleled sense of scale and grandeur, it’s rather apt for the director’s new film to receive an extensive IMAX trailer, spotlighting the impressive visual effects that will be bringing Philippe Petit’s daring feat to life like never before. Gordon-Levitt is on board to topline the white-knuckle ride as the French wire artist, who dared to dream in 1974 by walking across a tightrope strung between the Twin Towers. Not only did Petit pull off the remarkable stunt, as he tip-toed along the New York City skyline, but he managed to cross the rope several times, even lying down at one point.
Those that suffer from acrophobia may peek between their fingers at Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk as though it were a horror film, though the director has reaffirmed that the drama is oriented toward the heist genre, documenting the mission that Petit and his loyal crew carried out in order to stage the stunt. Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Clément Sibony, César Domboy, Benedict Samuel, Ben Schwartz and Steve Valentine round out the starry cast.
Blending 3D and IMAX together to create a nerve-shredding viewing experience, Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk will open in theaters on October 2.
Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.