If it seems like we’ve been waiting a long time for Richard Linklater’s take on Philip K Dick’s cautionary sci-fi drug tale, that’s probably because we have.
The film, which features rotoscoped animation layered over live-action performances in the style of Waking Life, cranked into production in May 2004. And it doesn’t even have a solid UK release date (it strikes US cinemas in July).
The plot is set in California’s Orange County, in a future where America has quite soundly lost the war on drugs. An undercover cop (Keanu Reeves) is ordered to start spying on his friends, and particularly on a drug dealer named Bob Arctor. Trouble is, Fred is Bob Arctor… The mind-altering drugs he’s taking are having a serious effect on his brain.
Featuring the likes of Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr and Woody Harrelson, the movie looks like nothing else you’ll see at the cinema this year. Having caught a peak at about 20 minutes of footage at last year’s Comic Con, we can relate it’s a strange trip likely to split audiences. Click here to get a look at some new footage in the extended trailer.
