City of Ember trailer

BBC News links to the trailer for the upcoming CITY OF EMBER. The $50-million science fiction film stars Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau. Based on a novel by Jeanne du Prau, the story is set in an underground city, built to protect the human race from inhospitable conditions on the surface; unfortunately, the city’s 200-year expiration date is coming up.

Co-financed by Ireland Screen and produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the production was filmed partly in Belfast last year; the historic “Paint Hall” in the Titanic Quarter provided s suitable setting for an “underground” world:

Martin Landau said: “It’s amazing. It’s quite an amazing set, extensive and tall and comfortable. I would say it’s quite remarkable.”

The production design looks interesting, but Murray seems out of place, and the emphasis on young protagonists forebodes of a juvenile tone.

The film is scheduled for an October 10 release in the U.S.

About the Author

Steve Biodrowski

Cinefantastique's Los Angeles Correspondent from 1987 to 1993 and West Coast Editor from 1993 to 1999. Currently the webmaster of Cinefantastique Online, I also run a website called Hollywood Gothique that covers Halloween Horror and Sci-Fi Cinema Events in the Los Angeles area.

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