Michael Keaton, who has been caught amid the ongoing content turmoil at Warner Bros. Discovery and DC, is now focusing on his upcoming noir thriller Knox Goes Away. The project has already revealed an impressive cast that includes Oscar winners Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden, as well as Westworld’s James Marsden. Keaton will not only reprise his role as Batman in The Flash but also direct, produce, and star in the movie. In May, the film was offered for sale at the Cannes Film Market and eventually purchased.
Variety reports that Suzy Nakamura, Joanna King, Ray McKinnon, John Hoogenaker, and Lela Loren will be joining the already-announced cast of Keaton’s thriller. The thriller also includes Pacino and Harden. Writer Gregory Poirier (Awake, National Treasure: Book of Secrets) authored the screenplay for the film. Keaton’s 2015 Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight was produced by Michael Sugar, who is also attached to producing this feature. The studios making the movie said in a statement that they wanted to create an original noir-thriller. This genre has fallen out of popularity in Hollywood in recent decades but is still considered a classic. Below is a joint statement that all parties have agreed upon.
Original noir thrillers like this are a rarity nowadays, so as producers, and movie lovers, we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this project. With Michael Keaton both behind and in front of the camera, combined with the rest of our gifted cast and crew, the audience is in for a real treat.
The filming of Knox Goes Away began in the late summer of this year and just finished. Keaton portrays John Knox, a hitman whose rapid dementia worsens his ability to carry out his job. During his final days, he promises to make things right with his grown son, portrayed by James Marsden. It’s building up to be a dark, gloomy throwback to classic noirs of the past, with moments of action, suspense, and heavy emotion that should be represented to significant effect by its brilliant cast as Keaton runs from the authorities and his impending struggle with dementia. Due to the unfortunate cancellation of Batgirl, many people are likely to find Knox Goes Away an exciting endeavor because it provides viewers with another chance to watch Keaton in action.
This marks the first time in Keaton’s legendary Hollywood career that he has actively sought out the director’s chair. His previous directing credit is the 2008 crime thriller The Merry Gentleman, in which Keaton also starred, this time as a troubled investigator on the killer’s trail. The film’s initial director and writer, Ron Lazzerti, had to drop out before the shooting began because his appendix ruptured. Keaton took over directing duties, and the finished product received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, legal disputes plagued the production, and the movie fell short of its projected gross.
There appears to be no drama this time around. The director’s chair was always firmly in his hands, and he teamed up with producers and studio heads who worked on his other highly regarded projects. Knox Goes Away has the potential to be one of the more interesting noirs of recent memory because of the stellar cast, which the renowned Michael Keaton leads in both acting and directing roles.
