Dark Blood, the film that has languished on the shelf since lead actor River Pheonix died a few weeks shy of completion on October 31, 1993, is finally going to be released into theaters.
The film's director, George Sluizer (The Vanishing), held onto the film for nearly 20 years before surprising everyone last October, stating that he was going to finish the film. The world premiere of Dark Blood will be held at the Netherlands Film Festival on September 27th, a month before the 19 year anniversary of Phoenix's death.
The film takes place on a nuclear testing site where Phoenix's character, Boy, is a widower living alone until a wealthy Hollywood couple (played by Judy Davis and Jonathan Pryce) become stranded after their car breaks down. While at first the couple think that Boy has rescued them, they soon find out that he has actually taken them prisoner.
The release of the film has sparked some controversy with the Phoenix family, who have stated they want no involvement with the project. Whether or not fans feel the same way, it's still a movie that will spark interest seeing that the film's lead actor has been dead longer than most of today's young Hollywood stars have been alive. Being crowned the "Grunge James Dean", many actors today (Michael Pitt, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, etc.) look at Phoenix as an idol who's life was cut too short.
River Phoenix was not just a teen idol, he was a teen idol who could act. Having been nominated for an Oscar back for his 1988 film Running On Empty as well as winning praise for films like Stand By Me (1986) and My Own Private Idaho (1991), he stood above all of the other young actors of his time.
Hopefully this film brings him back to the limelight, reminding people before there was Joaquin Phoenix, there was his older brother, River.
