ROTTEN TOMATOES: Young Wolverine Hits The Road

Young Wolverine Hits The Road

Smit-McPhee joins Mortensen, Theron in McCarthy adaptation.

by Jeff Giles | January 30, 2008

Kodi Smit-McPhee -- the 11-year-old Australian actor who will make American audiences' acquaintances as young Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine -- has joined the cast of The Road.

As reported by IGN Movies (via Australia's Daily Telegraph), Smit-McPhee will play the son of Viggo Mortensen's character in the Joe Hillcoat-directed adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning novel. The young actor is already familiar to Australian audiences, thanks to his role as Eric Bana's son in Romulus, My Father.

IGN goes on to report (via The Pittsburgh Business Times) that The Road is kicking off an eight-week Pittsburgh shoot next month, and adds that Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall have been added to the cast. Since Mortensen and Smit-McPhee's characters are almost exclusively the focus of the book, IGN speculates that Duvall and Pearce -- along with another recently added cast member, Charlize Theron -- will be seen in flashback.

Smit-McPhee in Romulus, My Father. Source: IGN Movies

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(1-20 of 26 posts) | Reply

whiskeyriver writes:
on Jan 30 2008 06:13 AM

***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
***BIG BIG SPOILERS***
***STOP, YOU FOOL! DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE NOVEL!***

Actually, I believe it will only be Theron who will be seen in flashback as the mother.

I am speculating that Duvall will likely be the old man who steals the shopping cart full of supplies and food from the man and the son. Let's hope that when the father makes the old man take off his clothes, the filmmakers decide to shoot Duvall from the waist up (shuddddddderrrrr).

I believe Pearce will be the man at the end who helps the son continue "carrying the fire" after the father dies.

(Reply to this)

IBelieveInHarveyDent writes:
on Jan 30 2008 06:45 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540371)
huh those were the parts i was thinking too.

(Reply to this)

Weicher writes:
on Jan 30 2008 07:22 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540441)
Actually, the man who steals the shopping cart is a rather young man.

My bets are on the old pilgrim whom the son gives food, sometime at the middle of the book.

(Reply to this)

TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Jan 30 2008 07:50 AM

All I can say is WAY to bootstrap an article into the mainstream;

headline:
"Batman romancing Fran Drescher on NBC?"

translates into

"Stuntman #42 from Batman Begins will have recurring role as whacky neighbor in un-signed Fran Drescher TV project"

(Reply to this)

Weicher writes:
on Jan 30 2008 08:16 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540592)
Ups. Wrong topic, mate.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Jan 30 2008 08:22 AM

So Guy Pierce has returned from questing the cosmos in search of last remnants of the planet Krypton. Glad to hear it. Dude's been awol. He used to be one of my top picks for the Harvey Dent role.

(Reply to this)

rustdog writes:
on Jan 30 2008 08:25 AM

I hope this kid can act. He looks skinny enough, maybe a little too old. I was thinking more like 7 or 8 than 11 or 12. Atleast it's not Freddie Highmore.

(Reply to this)

Baccus83 writes:
on Jan 30 2008 08:33 AM

Is it too early to predict Viggo Mortensen as best actor 2008? That's right, you heard it here.

Of course I'm being ridiculous.

(Reply to this)

Weicher writes:
on Jan 30 2008 08:34 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540636)
Well, actually he was in last year's "The proposition", also directed by John Hillcoat (one of the reasons I am very much looking for this movie).

Let me see... one of the finest books written by McCarthy, plus Hillcoat directing, plus Viggo Mortensen playing the Man (I'm foreseeing an oscar nomination), cinematography by the GREAT Javier Igarresarobe... if the music is composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, I'm definitely there.

(Reply to this)

burlingr writes:
on Jan 30 2008 09:31 AM

that kid really needs to nail that accent if this movie will in anyway need to be believable (theyre in appalachia after all)... and robert duvall is def playing the old man the young boy makes his father give food to. I'm still pulling for steve buscemi being the guy who steals the shopping cart at the end. Javier Bardem as a road warrior (this is a joke... kind of).

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Jan 30 2008 09:38 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540653)
I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen "The Proposition" yet, but it's definitely high up on my list. Still trying to grab a free enough weekend to rent a bunch of movies and go nuts. Looking forward to this one. Would see it in the theater if it weren't for the lack of closed captions.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Jan 30 2008 09:44 AM

Uhh Giles, try JOHN Hillcoat, not Joe.

(Reply to this)

whiskeyriver writes:
on Jan 30 2008 11:31 AM

In reply to this comment (#1540575)
Ahh, Weicher, you are totally right. I was blending two of their encounters together. I read the novel the week it came out (big Cormac fan), so it's been a while.

So true...it is probably a good speculation that Duvall will be the old man the son gives food to. So, who will be the cart-stealer? That is another small, but key role. You know, when I read the novel I pictured Tim Blake Nelson. Someone who will have a small bit of menace, but ultimately severe vulnerability.

(Reply to this)

NMB writes:
on Jan 30 2008 11:35 AM

I know nothing about that kid, but judging upon looks alone I'm going to have to say that he's PERFECTLY cast. He's pretty much exactly what I'd envisioned in my head.

Great book, but I dont think they're gonna be able to make it into a watchable film. We'll see...

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Jan 30 2008 12:58 PM

So, in other words you're telling us that an actor we haven't seen in a film we haven't seen will be in another film we haven't seen?

(Reply to this)

Jeff Giles writes:
on Jan 30 2008 02:23 PM

In reply to this comment (#1541063)
That is correct.

(Reply to this)

Jeff Giles writes:
on Jan 30 2008 02:48 PM

In reply to this comment (#1540779)
I meant John, dahluzz. In fact, I'm pretty sure I WROTE John, and you switched it when I wasn't looking. Why you gotta be like that?

(Reply to this)

imbroco writes:
on Jan 30 2008 04:09 PM

I don't know, I'm kind of stoked for this. It was an amazing book. I kind of hope they take a cue from the Cohen Bros. in their adaptation and don't spring for a made-up Hollywood ending. That's part of the strange attraction of this piece of work - how little you know.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jan 30 2008 04:46 PM

They should have Will Smith play the dad, and call it THE LEGEND HITS THE ROAD

(Reply to this)

taran72 writes:
on Jan 30 2008 05:18 PM

Great book, great director, great actors. How can you not be excited at least a little about this project?

(Reply to this)

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