Following the, er, questionable decision to back a handful of Adam Sandler comedies, each one less enjoyable and genuinely fun than the last, Netflix has been on a roll for picking up projects with promising filmmakers and ambitious heavyweights. The fact that they will be backing something as tremendous as the new Bong Joon-ho film, Okja, the follow-up to his magnificent adaptation of Snowpiercer, alone would essentially make up for five Sandler films. But then there's also War Machine, David Michod's latest film, backed by and starring Brad Pitt, as well as Adam Wingard's hugely anticipated adaptation of the classic anime Death Note; there's also new projects from Angelina Jolie and David Wain on the way from the streaming service.
You can add one more title onto the heap now, as it was announced by Netflix today that they have acquired global rights to The Discovery, the new film from Charlie McDowell, the filmmaker behind the quite promising The One I Love and son of the great character actor Malcolm McDowell. The film will be released in 2017, and this is how the press release describes the film:
Directed by Charlie McDowell and written by McDowell and Justin Lader, The Discovery is a gripping love story set one year after the existence of the afterlife is scientifically verified. Redford plays the scientist responsible for the discovery, with Segel portraying his son Will and Mara playing Isla, a woman haunted by a tragic past who Will falls in love with.
It's an interesting concept, and The One I Love certainly boasted a unique perspective and a pointed opinion about modern thirty-something maturity and existence. Okja and Death Note remain the most interesting projects on the docket for the streaming service, but The Discovery should now rightly be numbered amongst the most promising and anticipated movies of 2017, as well as another small but meaningful testament to Netflix's loyalty to young, emerging artists looking for a place to make big, personal films on a budget.
