There’s a lot more to Tom Hiddleston than playing Thor’s little brother. He recently worked with auteur of the bizarre Jim Jarmusch on Only Lovers Left Alive, and proved how sexy villains can be in a series of Jaguar commercials. Now, he’s gearing up for his next project, which will be with Sightseers director Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise.
High-Rise is an adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name which focuses on a class war that begins in a luxury apartment building, transforming elevators into battlegrounds and cocktail parties into “marauding attacks.” It sounds like a bizarre story, full of potential social commentary, and a real opportunity for Wheatley to further show us just how weird and wonderful films can be.
The teaser poster for High-Rise looks like the cover of a novel, with Wheatley and Hiddleston’s names prominently displayed. There’s something very sinister in it too, as a tiny human figure gazes up at an obviously inaccessible high-rise building looming far above his head. The film already feels dark and exciting, and it hasn’t even started shooting yet.
Wheatley himself is very excited about casting Hiddleston, saying that he “can’t quite believe this is happening.” I don’t blame him. Hiddleston continues to prove that he’s the most interesting actor this side of Michael Fassbender, balancing his big budget appearances in Thor and The Avengers with smaller, stranger films. With a script by frequent Wheatley collaborator Amy Jump (A Field In England, Kill List) and backed by producer Jeremy Thomas (the man behind such films as The Last Emperor and 13 Assassins), High-Rise ranks right up there on my must-see list.
High-Rise will begin shooting this summer, and as always we’ll keep an eye out for release dates.
Check out the teaser poster below and let us know what you think in the comments. Are you excited for a Hiddleston/Wheatley collaboration?
