Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves have both dipped their toes into the indie world throughout their careers, but it's been quite awhile since they were involved with a project that has as much advance buzz as “The Bad Batch” does.
The Annapurna Pictures and VICE project is acclaimed filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour's follow up to “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” and is described as a dystopian love story set in Texas. According to Deadline, while Diego Luna and Suki Waterhouse (“Insurgent”) are on board as the film's leads, Carrey is set to play The Hermit, Reeves will portray The Dream and Jason Momoa will bring someone called Miami Man to life. Extrapolate from those character names what you can.
Production on the project will begin next month in Texas with Annapurna taking bids for global rights at the Cannes Film Festival. And, yes, that sort of timeline makes a Sundance or Cannes 2016 premiere seem likely.
Carrey starred in last year's hit comedy “Dumb and Dumber To” and his most recent indie endeavor was the acclaimed and still underrated dramedy “I Love You Phillip Morris” back in 2009. Reeves enjoyed something of a mini-comeback with “John Wick” last fall and debuted Eli Roth's “Knock Knock” to very mixed response at Sundance this past January. He recently wrapped “Daughter of God” and is expected to film Nicholas Winding Refn's “The Neon Demon” sometime this year. Momoa plays Aquaman in “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” and returns in the Sundance Channel series “The Red Road” next month.
Megan Ellison's Annapurna has become a force for filmmakers with “independent spirit” backing movies such as “The Master,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Her” and “Foxcatcher.” They currently have Richard Linklater's “That's What I'm Talking About,” David O. Russell's “Joy,” Todd Solonz's “Weiner-Dog” and the animated “Sausage Party” also in varies states of production.