A SCANNER DARKLY

Production Company: Section Eight / Thousand Words

Studio: Warner Independent Pictures

Cast: Mitch Baker as Brown Bear Lodge Host, Melody Chase as Arctor’ s Wife, Dameon Clarke as Mike, Rory Cochrane as Freck, Jack Cruz as Police Officer, Jason Douglas as New Path Farm Manager, Robert Downey Jr. as Barris, Woody Harrelson as Luckman, Heather Kafka as New Path Girl, Marco Perella as Donald, Leila Plummer as New Path Resident #2, Steven Prince as Future Cop, Angela Rawna as Medical Deputy, Keanu Reeves as Fred/Bob Arctor, Christopher Ryan as New Path Resident #1, Christopher Ryan as New Path Resident, Winona Ryder as Donna, Eliza Stevens as Daughter and Rommel Sulit as New Path Resident

Crew: Richard Linklater (writer and director); Philip K. Dick (based on his novel); George Clooney, John Sloss and Steven Soderbergh (executive producers); Sara Johnson (associate producer); Tommy Pallotta, Jonah Smith, Anne Walker-McBay, Erwin Stoff and Palmer West (producers)

Synopsis:
America’s endless and futile war on drugs has become one and the same with its war on terror. Reluctant undercover cop Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) follows orders to start spying on his friends, Jim Barris, Ernie Luckman, Donna Hawthorne and Charles Freck. When he is directed to step up the surveillance on himself, he is launched on a paranoid journey into the absurd, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode.

Based on legendary science-fiction author Philip K. Dick’s own experiences, A Scanner Darkly tells the darkly comedic, caustic, but deeply tragic tale of drug use in the modern world. The film plays like a graphic novel come to life with live-action photography overlaid with an advanced animation process – a method known as interpolated rotoscoping, first employed in writer/director Richard Linklater’s 2001 film Waking Life – to create a haunting version of America, seven years from now.

Other Info

Film Fetish trivia:
The film was shot in live action, then digitally painted over every frame to create the animated effect.

There are some very familiar names on the executive producer list for the film, including George Clooney (Oceans 12) and Steven Soderbergh, director of films including Solaris and Out of Sight.

Taglines

Based on the acclaimed novel by Philip K. Dick

Seven years from now…Everything you do will be recorded.

Official Websites: wip.warnerbrothers.com

Trailers

I Film Teaser

YAHOO EXCLUSIVE (multiple formats)

Release Dates: July 7, 2006

Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE / DRAMA / SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY