Benicio Del Toro has a number of interesting projects in the works. He recently signed on for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and in a complete surprise, he also took a role in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
While we’re excited to see how both of those projects turn out, one film that we are definitely looking forward to seeing the actor in is the upcoming Paradise Lost.
Today, we have our first look at Del Toro playing infamous crime lord Pablo Escobar in the film (seen above). Written and directed by Life of Pi scribe Andrea di Stefano, the project will take on the form of a romantic thriller that follows a surfer, played by Josh Hutcherson, who “falls in love with a girl, Maria (Claudia Traisac), whilst visiting his brother in Columbia. The only catch is, Maria’s uncle is Pablo Escobar. As you can imagine, complications ensue.
As of now, I’m not too sure what to think of the film. Hutcherson and Del Toro are both solid actors but the story doesn’t sound terribly appealing. It would have been nice if Del Toro could star in a biopic solely about Escobar, rather than just portray him in a film that involves the crime lord as a supporting player. That being said, it should still be interesting to see how the project turns out and I’m excited to see Del Toro in the role.
The film is currently in post-production and though we don’t have an official release date just yet, you can expect it to land in theatres at some point during early 2014. It also wouldn’t surprise us if the film makes the festival rounds, too. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
Tell us, what do you think of Benicio Del Toro playing Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost? Let us know in the comments below.