Parker to Helm Again – Getting Icy With Charlize Theron
Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron has convinced legendary British director Alan Parker to helm her pet project, 'Ice At The Bottom Of The World'. The South African born actress is set to star in and produce the project for which she acquired film rights a decade ago, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The family drama about a navy captain who returns home to discover his daughter is addicted to heroin and has had a multi-racial child out of wedlock, is based on a number of short stories by Mark Richard, who also penned the screenplay.
After studying his films, Theron pursued the semi-retired Parker, known for such films as 'Mississippi Burning', 'The Commitments' and 'Angela's Ashes', because of his love for filming family stories.
"When she told me she was interested in Alan Parker, I was really excited," Theron's producing partner Bob Berney said. "He is one of our most illustrious filmmakers, who time and time again has shown his ability to mine true emotion from characters."
After Theron approached Parker in early 2006, Berney met with the director in London after the Cannes Film Festival to cement the deal.
"When you go back to 'The Commitments' or even 'Shoot the Moon' you see how passionate he is about family stories. He'll bring amazing storytelling experience to 'Ice At The Bottom Of The World', which is an uncompromising drama, tinged with black humour, about the way people try to connect at times when those connections have broken down," said Berney.
The upcoming film is the second collaboration between Berney and the actress. Berney's Picturehouse company marketed and distributed the Theron-produced 'Monster', which won her a best actress Oscar.
"My understanding of what Charlize is capable of came from 'Monster', " Berney said.
"She's publicly known as an amazing actress, but I was equally impressed with her producing capability. And as far as finding material and getting it made - that's what I love about Alan directing this project."
Parker has not made a film since 2003's 'The Life Of David Gale' starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet.
The director of such films as 'Midnight Express', 'Birdy' and 'Angel Heart' is currently polishing the 'Ice' script and scouting locations, with a plan to start production in the third quarter of 2006.
The independent film, with a budget of some $20-million is being produced by Picturehouse, Parker's Dirty Hands company and Theron's Denver & Delilah Films.