There’s some big news floating around town this week and believe it or not, it doesn’t have to do with avalanches.
Right now, we have the acclaimed writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu (currently enjoying all sorts of accolades for Birdman) and the major star power of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in town to make what is sure to be an epic film.
And thanks to Iñárritu’s policy of filming in only natural light, this is going to be an extended stay.
While Vancouver may try to claim the title of ‘Hollywood North’, Calgary has been the backdrop for countless films and series. Thanks to our stunning outdoor scenery, in more recent times we’ve attracted Christopher Nolan and the Interstellar cast along with FX Canada’s Fargo.
Despite our familiarity with the big screen and actors, the announcement of Leo’s latest project is really exciting news. Here for his latest project ‘Revenant’, the Wolf of Wall Street actor will be working out of Calgary for the next several months – an extended run– due to the shorter hours of daylight, not to mention the cold weather, that comes with shooting this time of year.
Set in the wild frontier of the 1800s, the film is inspired by the true story of the American fur trapper Hugh Glass who survives a gruesome bear attack only to be left for dead by his posse. The rest of the story follows Glass’ unlikely survival and his battle to make it out of the wilderness to find the men who left him behind. It’s going to be revenge, history, and some badass brawls rolled into a few hours.
Unbeknownst to many, this isn’t Leo’s first time in Calgary. 2010’s Inception actually used the mountain range around Fortress Mountain for one of the dream sequences. More recently, Leo made a trip to Fort McMurray as research for his eco-documentary ‘Carbon’ that was released last summer.
Revenant won’t be released until Christmas Day 2015 but in the meantime, we have few Leo sightings to look forward to.
And isn’t that a big enough present on its own?
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Cover image from: Entertainment Weekly by Kimberley French
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