Anthony Hopkins’ next major part is a leading role in Eyes In The Trees, a reimagined incarnation of The Island of Dr. Moreau, the 1896 book from H.G. Wells.
The two-time Oscar-winner, 86, will collaborate on the project with filmmaker Timothy Woodward Jr., whose credits include Til Death Do Us Part, The Call and Gangster Land.
The legendary Welsh actor will play the role of a geneticist who has been put into isolation after the government ceased funding when one of his test subjects has a violent outbreak.
The screenplay for the new film was penned by B. Harrison Smith and Mike Manning, according to Deadline, and producers include Artisha Mann-Cooper, Daemon Hillin and Sasha Yelaun, with Landon B. Gorman as executive producer.
The book has been adapted for film on multiple occasions, such as the 1932’s Island of Lost Souls starring Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau.
Anthony Hopkins’ next major part is a leading role in Eyes In The Trees, a reimagined incarnation of The Island of Dr. Moreau, the 1896 book from H.G. Wells. The actor, 86, was pictured in LA in 2019
In 1977, the legendary Burt Lancaster took on the role of Dr. Paul Moreau, with the supporting cast including Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera and Richard Basehart.
The most recent incarnation came 28 years ago with The Island of Dr. Moreau, in which Marlon Brando portrayed Dr. Moreau, with a supporting cast including Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman and David Thewlis.
Production on the motion picture was famously troubled amid issues with the stars, inclement weather during shooting and a bloated budget.
A 2014 documentary titled Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, detailed the troubled production.
The movie was initially slated to be filmed in Cairns, with actor Jurgen Prochnow to play the titular role, but the studio eventually decided to have Brando play the role, and Roman Polanski replace Richard Stanley as director, according to the Golden Globes.
Stanley enlisted a ‘warlock’ named Skip for a meeting with Brando to persuade him to remain in the director’s chair on the motion picture.
The film would go on to have severe production troubles amid Stanley’s firing, new director John Frankenheimer coming on to replace him, and Brando and Kilmer being uncooperative amid personal issues. Upon release it was panned by critics and made $49 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
In the forthcoming film, the legendary Welsh actor will play the role of a geneticist who has been put into isolation after the government ceased funding when one of his test subjects has a violent outbreak
The most recent incarnation came 28 years ago with The Island of Dr. Moreau, in which Marlon Brando portrayed Dr. Moreau
Hopkins won his first Academy Award for his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs.
The film also won the Best Picture, Best Actress for Jodie Foster and Best Director for Jonathan Demme, among other honors, at the 1992 Oscars.
Hopkins reprised the role in 2001’s Hannibal opposite Julianne Moore, and 2002’s Red Dragon opposite Edward Norton.
Hopkins won his second Best Actor Oscar for 2021’s The Father opposite Olivia Colman for filmmaker Florian Zeller.