2012 (film)
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | [steven spielberg]] |
| Written by | Roland Emmerich Harald Kloser |
| Produced by | Roland Emmerich Mark Gordon Harald Kloser |
| Starring | John Cusack Amanda Peet Danny Glover Thandie Newton Oliver Platt Chiwetel Ejiofor Woody Harrelson |
| Music by | Harald Kloser |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date | November 13, 2009 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
2012 is an upcoming American disaster science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film has an ensemble cast, including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Woody Harrelson. The film will be distributed by Columbia Pictures. Filming began in August 2008 in Vancouver, and is expected to be released worldwide on November 13th, 2009.
Premise
The world is devastated by a cataclysm in the year 2012, leaving survivors to struggle for their lives.[1] The film is inspired by the several theories that state the ancient Mayans predicted a doomsday event will occur sometime around the 2012 winter solstice.[2]
Production
Director Roland Emmerich and composer-producer Harald Kloser co-wrote a spec script titled 2012, which was marketed to major studios in February 2008. Nearly all studios met with Emmerich and his representatives to hear the director's budget projection and story plans, a process that the director had previously gone through with the films Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).[3] The film was shopped around with a production budget of $200 million.[4] Later in the month of February, Sony Pictures Entertainment won the rights for the spec script and will distribute it under Columbia Pictures.[5] The studio plans to make the film for less than the estimated budget.[4]
Filming was originally scheduled to begin in Los Angeles, California, in July 2008, [6] but instead commenced in Vancouver in August 2008.[7] Due to the possible 2008 Screen Actors Guild strike, filmmakers set up a contingency plan for salvaging the film.[8] Sony Pictures Imageworks was hired to create visual effects for 2012.[9]
Cast
- John Cusack as Jackson Curtis, a divorced writer who occasionally works as a limousine driver.[10]
- Amanda Peet as Kate, Jackson's ex-wife.[1]
- Danny Glover as President Wilson, the President of the United States.[4]
- Thandie Newton as Laura Wilson, the First Daughter.[4]
- Oliver Platt as Carl Anheuser, the President's Chief of Staff.[4]
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Adrian Helmsley, scientific adviser to the President.[10]
- Woody Harrelson as Charlie Frost,[11] a man who prophesies the end of the world and is considered crazy by others. Harrelson compared his character to the mythological Greek figure Cassandra, whose predictions were dismissed.[12]
- Ng Chin Han as Lin Pang, a worker in Tibet.[7]
- Thomas McCarthy as Gordon, Kate's current boyfriend and a plastic surgeon.[13]
- Morgan Lily as Lilly Curtis, Jackson and Kate's daughter.[14]
Marketing
On November 12, 2008, the studio released the first teaser trailer for 2012 that showed a tsunami coming over the Himalayas and interlaced a message about the world's governments not preparing its population for the end of the world. The trailer ended with a message to viewers to "find out the truth" by searching on Google for "2012". The Guardian criticized the marketing approach as "deeply flawed" since the film was not mentioned among the first few search engine results.[15] The studio also launched a viral marketing website published by the fictional organization Institute for Human Continuity where visitors could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population that would be rescued from global destruction.[16]
Release
2012 was originally scheduled to be released on July 10, 2009. The release date was changed to November 13, 2009 to move out of the busy summer schedule into a time frame that the studio considered to have more potential for success. According to the studio, the film could have been completed for the summer release date, but the date change will give more time to the production.[17] This date will also give the film an effect release as the day of this date will be a Friday 13th.
See also
- 2012 – 2012 metaphysical speculations
- Mesoamerican Long Count calendar – 2012 and the Long Count
- Mayanism – December 21, 2012
References
- ^ a b Simmons, Leslie (June 13, 2008). "Amanda Peet is 2012 lead". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Pawlowski, Agnes (January 27, 2009). "Apocalypse in 2012? Date spawns theories, film". CNN. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Fleming, Michael (February 19, 2008). "Studios vie for Emmerich's 2012". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Simmons, Leslie (June 2, 2008). "Danny Glover circles 2012". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Fleming, Michael (February 21, 2008). "Sony buys Emmerich's 2012". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Siegel, Tatiana (May 19, 2008). "John Cusack set for 2012". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b Frater, Patrick (July 9, 2008). "Chin Han makes date with 2012". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Big Hollywood films shooting despite strike threat". Reuters. August 1, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Giardina, Carolyn (August 13, 2008). "SPI's future includes 2012". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b Simmons, Leslie (May 19, 2008). "John Cusack ponders disaster flick". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Rich, Katey (15 July 2008). "Woody Harrelson Trying To Survive Armageddon". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ Adler, Shawn (July 14, 2008). "EXCLUSIVE: Woody Harrelson Joins Roland Emmerich's World-Ending 2012". MTV Movies Blog. MTV. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Kit, Borys (July 1, 2008). "Thomas McCarthy joins 2012". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Morgan Lily". Variety. August 3, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Pickard, Anna (November 25, 2008). "2012: a cautionary tale about marketing". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Billington, Alex (November 15, 2008). "Roland Emmerich's 2012 Viral - Institute for Human Continuity". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ DiOrio, Carl (January 20, 2009). "2012 release date pushed back". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help)