Mortdecai

Add to the list of puckish rogues, charming ne’er-do-wells and sly adventurers played by Johnny Depp the role of , cash-strapped British aristocrat and protagonist of the new action-comedy Mortdecai. Based on the charismatic anti-hero of Kyril Bonfiglioli’s popular trilogy, Charlie Mortdecai is a professional bon vivant and occasional art dealer perpetually at the end of his financial rope.

The iconic Goya painting intrinsic to the storyline was created specifically for the film.

The iconic Goya painting intrinsic to the storyline was created specifically for the film.

Depp took his inspiration from classic English film comedians including Peter Sellers, Sid James, Bernard Cribbins and especially Terry-Thomas, the irrepressible, gap-toothed star who defined the term “upper class twit” for several generations. Charlie’s luscious blonde wife Johanna is played by Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow. British actor Paul Bettany, who plays Jock, was introduced to the project by Johnny Depp while the two were filming Transcendence. Mortdecai also marks a welcome reunion of McGregor and director , who previously collaborated on Angels & Demons.

Production designer James Merifield, an Emmy® Award winner with credits including the acclaimed British television series Little Dorrit was drawn to what he saw as a strong retro feeling in the writing of Mortdecai. “That was something I wanted to springboard into the design,” he recalls. “We should hark back to the style of movies in the 1940s and 1950s. When it became apparent that director David Koepp felt the same way, we designed with quite a few references to that era.

Merifield says he approaches his designs through character and found a wealth of inspiration in Mortdecai. Wrotham Park in the English countryside became Mortdecai Manor, the fictional English country estate that Charlie and Johanna call home. Technical requirements for some scenes meant that Merifield also built interiors at Pinewood Studios. Although the production moved from the UK to Los Angeles for key exteriors at the Standard Hotel, the interiors of the trendy West Hollywood boutique hotel were shot on D Stage at Pinewood.

Although Mortdecai is a comedy, it is packed with action sequences, as Jock constantly saves Charlie from outlandish mishaps. Stunt coordinator and second-unit action director, Rowley Irlam coordinated a motorbike and sidecar careening through Moscow, an unforgettable sword fight and a massive explosion sequence featuring virtually all of the key cast members. One of the most challenging stunt sequences for Irlam and his team was the complicated sword fight between Mortdecai and Emil.

According to composer Geoff Zanelli, David Koepp created “a two-headed monster” when he asked Zanelli to partner with musician, producer and DJ Mark Ronson to create the score for Mortdecai. “David wanted a combination of the sound Mark created on his “Version” album and the through music he knew he could rely on me for,” says Zanelli. “He said ‘I need melodies and I keep hearing Mark Ronson in this. Would you like to meet with him and see what you two can do together?’ That was an easy thing to say yes to!

MoreMovieDetails

All Posts
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Share this article: Mortdecai

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Email

MORE TOPICS

Macbeth

From the producers of The King’s Speech comes the story of a fearless Scottish General, Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), whose ambitious wife (Marion Cotillard) urges him to use wicked means to gain power of the throne.

Mr. Holmes

MR HOLMES is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare.

The Call

In the high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat thriller The Call, a thin thread of survival separates a teenage kidnap victim from her only hope: a compassionate, steady voice on the other end of a cell phone marshaling all the resources she can to find her.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright based on the comic book series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. In order to win Ramona over, Scott learns that he must defeat Ramona’s seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 reveals for the first time the most covert place in all of Panem: secretive District 13, where Panem’s rebels have carved out their own rigidly ordered society miles underground.

Chronicle

Chronicle is an science fiction film directed by Josh Trank and written by Max Landis based on a story by both Trank and Landis. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan, Michael Kelly, and Alex Russell, as a group of friends who gain powerful superhuman abilities, and use them for mischief and personal gain, until one of them begins to use their powers for darker purposes.