20th Century Studios has released a new featurette for their upcoming adventure flick, The Call of the Wild. The latest of numerous book-to-screen adaptations of author Jack London's 1903 novel of the same name, this take stars Harrison Ford as human protagonist John Thornton, a gruff mountain man eking out a live in the Alaskan wilderness before a chance encounter with a spirited dog changes his life forever.
Ford also figures prominently in the featurette, which is aptly titled "Adventure Companions." The video runs less than a minute but includes some hot quotes courtesy of Harrison, including this first one: "I've had dogs all my life. They're all different [and] they all have personalities." From there, Harrison moves into talking about John Thornton's relationship to the dog at the center of the Call of the Wild story, Buck (who is completely CGI in the movie and is definitely... a choice).
"In John Thornton's case, when he finds Buck, he finds a companion for an adventure. It changes John Thornton's life. It changes Buck's life," Ford explains before touching on the film's larger theme of the life-changing relationship a person can have with a dog: "You can give them affection [and] companionship and, in turn, they will love you." As Ford talks to us about dogs, a.k.a. The Goodest Boys of the Animal Kingdom, we are treated to new footage from the movie as well as footage we saw from the trailer released all the way back in November 2019. Ultimately, you come away from the featurette feeling even more roused about the movie and also (probably) in need of a good snuggle with your dog.
In addition to Ford, The Call of the Wild stars Bradley Whitford, Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Michael Horse, and Colin Woodell. The film was directed by Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods) and adapted by Michael Green (The Green Lantern, Logan).
The Call of the Wild arrives in theaters on February 21, 2020. Watch the latest featurette, "Adventure Companions," below and then check out the thrilling trailer.
And here's the synopsis for The Call of the Wild:
Adapted from the beloved literary classic, 20th Century Studios' The Call of the Wild vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Canadian Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team--and later its leader--Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master. As a live-action/animation hybrid, “The Call of the Wild” employs cutting edge visual effects and animation technology in order to render the animals in the film as fully photorealistic--and emotionally authentic--characters. The Call of the Wild stars Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan and Bradley Whitford. Directed by Chris Sanders from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on the novel by Jack London, the film was produced by Erwin Stoff, p.g.a. and James Mangold, p.g.a., with Diana Pokorny and Ryan Stafford serving as executive producers.