When I saw this bit of news that Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson would be starring in Fools Rush In I thought surely hell had frozen over. Could Hollywood possibly have gotten to the point where they were remaking the oeuvre of Matthew Perry? I’ll concede that Bloom has about as much appeal as Perry (read: little), I just couldn’t see Neeson filling the ample bosom ermm role of Salma Hayek – no offense to the Irish giant. All kidding aside the polar opposite talents have been cast in the adaptation of Bill Carter’s autobiographical novel Fools Rush In. No doubt a name change is in the cards.
Carter’s tome recounts his experiences working as an aid worker in Sarajevo during the Balkan War in 1992. In his determination to help the Bosnian Serbs, who eventually lost some 10,000 citizens (including 2,000 children) to the siege, he famously brought mega-band U2 into the fold to bring attention and relief to the tragedy. Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington, winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2000 for the heartwarming Me You Them, will helm the film.
Bloom, whose lack of acting talent and downright wooden delivery hasn’t stopped him from finding decent work, is also producing the project along with Elliot Lewitt and Julie Kirkham. “I read the script, and the very human story and the very core of this film spoke to me very clearly,” Mr. Oak told reporters in Sarajevo as he applied a fresh coat of varnish on his face. Javier Bardem is also being courted for a supporting role which would help counteract the acting vacuum. Filming should start by the end of the year in the now relatively stable Sarajevo with the full support of current Mayor Borovac. Can Legolas carry a film all on his lonesome? History and logic say no, but stranger things have happened.
