Better late than never, I suppose. THR reports that director George Sluizer finally plans to finish his dramatic thriller Dark Blood, some 18 years after production was halted 11 days before the end of shooting, due to the sudden and unexpected death of the movie’s leading man, River Phoenix.
The actor was shooting Dark Blood in 1993 when he died of a heart attack (brought on by taking a cocktail of drugs) on Halloween night outside the Viper Room nightclub in LA. Shortly after the incident happened, George Sluizer hid the footage away, fearing that the film would be destroyed. He has now decided that enough time has passed and so he’s pulled the footage out of storage and re-edited it. He believes that he will be able to deliver a final cut of the film with a few tweaks and adjustments, as well as a new voice-over to cover the holes. Sluizer plans to have Joaquin Phoenix record the voice-over, as he believes the two brothers sound alike. The director has stayed in contact with the Phoenix family ever since the death of River Phoenix. That said, it isn’t known if Joaquin will go along with Sluizer’s plans.
Dark Blood revolves around River Phoenix’s character, a hermit who lives on a nuclear test site awaiting what he sees as the inevitable end of the world. A famous Hollywood couple seeks out the site for shelter, and River Phoenix’s character ends up having an affair with the woman.
The title of the film may have to be changed due to a copyright claim, but Sluizer hopes to have the film in theatres next year.
General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser
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