Mar 2 2009Keira Knightley To Be Cloned, Clavicles Harvested
If any "haters" generate complaints about Keira Knightley acting robotic in her next role, at least she can blame it on her character being a clone! Because, as everyone knows, human clones are basically robots. Or so they say:
[Keira Knightley] is ditching the period garb and going futuristic, signing on to star in the cloning-themed thriller Never Let Me Go.Per Variety, the would-be blockbuster centers on a trio of British boarding school students who grow up isolated from the rest of the world only to realize they are actually clones whose sole purpose is to have their organs harvested.
At least if there are any hater-generated complaints about a robotic performance this time around, Knightley can blame it on her character.
Thanks for the tip, Brandi, even though your subject line, "Never let me go," made me feel I was more wanted than was the case.
Reader Comments
1. Kyle - March 2, 2009 3:54 PM
I remember when this was called THE ISLAND. Maybe this one will have boobies?
2. Erica - March 2, 2009 4:02 PM
WTF! This is the exact plot of The Island.
3. CaptainMorgan - March 2, 2009 4:06 PM
Yes, Michael Bay will have nothing to say about this film if he's not involved. STUPID. Maybe it's "From the Second Assistant Director's Hair Stylist's Production Assistant from THE ISLAND."
Proof that Hollywood and movies in general are running out of ideas. Next thing you know, they'll remake bad classics like Total Recall. Oh wait...
4. Barnops - March 2, 2009 4:07 PM
I hate it when they re-make old movies. I think its even worse when they start re-making "less than 5 year old" ones.
bleh
5. Hal - March 2, 2009 4:22 PM
Until I hear there is a hover bike chase scene with cylinders being tossed at them I'll reserve the "remake" status of this one. I mean, THE ISLAND was just GATTACA with explosions, and GATTACA was just SLEEPER minus the nose gag, so in MY warped logic, Kiera Knightly is starring in a remake of a 70s Woody Allen comedy romp. We all know British Boarding school leads to funny, spice it up with clone hijinks? CONSIDER THE CONFUSION THAT COULD SET IN WHEN KEIRA FALLS FOR THE SAME GUY CLONED TWICE? IT WOULD BE LIKE "THE PRESTIGE" BUT HILAAAAARIOUS!
6. Mattk - March 2, 2009 4:33 PM
THE ISLAND was a rip-off of an AWFUL 70's flick called PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR.
They did it on MST3K
"I love you, clone daddy."
Any Misties in the House? ANyone?
7. Jess - March 2, 2009 4:37 PM
I was just about to bring up The Clonus Horror! What an amazing movie! Am I a bad person for genuinely enjoying it while watching the MST3K episode?
My first reaction was that this was The Clonus Horror meets the S2 new Doctor Who episode "The Girl In The Fireplace".
Who said there are no original ideas in Hollywood?
8. J-Red - March 2, 2009 4:49 PM
The Girl in the Fireplace had nothing to do with clones, boarding schools, or Keira Knightley... Although, Sophia Myles is British... Maybe that's the resemblance.
@1: What boobies? Knightley has nothing on Scarlett Johansson in that department. But if it's Knightley's you want, I refer you to Domino
9. B - March 2, 2009 4:54 PM
Aww IWS guy...of course I want you to never let me go!!
10. Jess - March 2, 2009 5:18 PM
@8
I dunno... vaguely 1750s European looking outfits paired with the idea of "people's parts for stuff" I didn't think I was TOO far off.
It occurs to me now that the attached image is not from the featured film, so, whoops, that's my mistake. Stupid first impressions!
11. Chris - March 2, 2009 5:23 PM
Reminds me of a book called "Spares" by Michael Marshall Smith.
12. K lee - March 2, 2009 6:25 PM
@ 6
YES! I was just getting on to say the same thing. The Island blatantly ripped off Clonus Horror. That's one of my favorite MST3K episodes, if only for the Spanish-language kids show they put on with Mike wearing tiny, shiny shorts. "AGUA!"
13. Yoyo - March 2, 2009 6:48 PM
Actually, this is based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel by the same name. It was named by Time one of the best 100 books in English for the past 100 years (the same list that had Watchmen and Maus on it).
14. michael - March 2, 2009 6:49 PM
'Never Let Me Go' is a book by Kazuo Ishiguro and is definitely not a 'thriller' and really not even sci-fi. If anything, it's a coming-of-age drama and somewhat of a downer.
15. Eddy - March 2, 2009 6:51 PM
I feel like the only one of these things that made it really big with sort of similarly famous people (Keira being sort of comparable to Scarjo) was the Island so that's why my mind went there. But they made that, what, five years ago? Maybe we need to wait a few more years until the Island slips into car-explodey obscurity.
16. Lindsey - March 2, 2009 7:40 PM
13 and 14 - thank God someone else realizes it's not a movie remake. That said, what the hell kind of clown decided turning dystopian speculative fiction into Keira Knightly futuristic thriller was going to be a good idea? The book isn't really sci-fi, futuristic, or particularly thrilling. It's slow-paced and leaves it up to the reader to figure out the clone bit until near the end, where it then just edges around the subject instead of tackling it head-on. Which is part of why the book is so good. And why this movie is going to ruin it. And why I'm not going to see it.
Argh.
17. icouldbedecentyet - March 2, 2009 8:07 PM
I fucking love this book. Depressing as all hell, but good. I think she'll do well in it.
18. spiritkittykat - March 2, 2009 10:09 PM
Yeah...definitely The Island, which I liked. This not so much.
I also like MST3K...for the above asking.
19. k - March 2, 2009 10:12 PM
Damn, of all the books they could've made a movie out of, they chose one that's probably impossible to capture at all, and as Lindsey@16 points out just ruined one of the most crucial parts of the book, which is the slow reveal.
Terrible.
20. Nick - March 3, 2009 3:28 PM
That's really convenient, because I just got the MST3K version of the Clonus Horror in from Netflix today.
21. Izzie - March 3, 2009 3:42 PM
I guarantee you this was the EXACT logic behind making this film:
"Hey! Remember when we made 'The Island'?
"The one we took a $90 million dollar loss on? Yea, I remember."
"I think we should try that again!"
"Uhh...Did you not hear the $90 million dollar loss thing????"
"Yea, but 'The Island' took place in a Utopian world. 'Never Let Me Go' takes place in a Dystopian society- so, you know, we can make it dark and edgy!"
"Ohhhhhhh. You're right! Someone dig up $200 million and get Christopher Nolan on the phone!"
22. Beastman AIDS - March 3, 2009 5:26 PM
MIghtn't be a rip off of The Island but it's still identical enough for my interest to be reduced in proportion to the lack of Scarlett.
Christ she's yummers.
23. dar - March 4, 2009 12:46 PM
i think this is too soon after the island, people who don't know that this is a remake will think theyre copying the idea from that.
24. sully - March 4, 2009 1:58 PM
@23
Uh... I think sometimes at the beginning of films they say "Based on the Novel by..." I think this might be one of those situations