Some movies, like "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," spend years in development and are long-awaited by devoted fans and moviegoers alike. Imagine a movie that would take an entire century to reach the public eye. Believe it or not, this movie exists. Unfortunately for us, there is an extremely small chance that we will somehow live to see the year 2115, which is when this highly ambitious film will finally be released in theaters (if theaters as we know them still exist).
Conceived as a cross promotion for the liquor Louis XIII Cognac, "100 Years" is directed by Robert Rodriguez ("Spy Kids," "Sin City" and "Machete") and stars Oscar-nominee John Malkovich, from a script the actor penned himself. The only aspect of the film that is known is that it will take place a century from now. As of now, the film has been locked away and will not be unearthed until November 18, 2115.
In terms of time, "100 Years" looks to be the most ambitious film in history since last year's "Boyhood," which chronicled the life of a young man from age 6 to age 18. The film was shot over a 12-year period by director Richard Linklater, whose brilliant concept for such a simple story made waves among film fanatics. "100 Years" may not pack the many years of continual effort that "Boyhood" does, but for people living in the distant future, it will hopefully be looked upon with as much amazement as the people of today did so with Linklater's 12-year opus.
It is arguably painful to know that we will never get to see whatever Rodriguez and Malkovich have in store for audiences of the future. One can only hope that "100 Years" will be celebrated in the way the great silent films of the 20th century have nearly a century after their initial release.
Rodriguez had the following to say about the film:
"It's the first time I've ever done anything like this, I was intrigued by the whole concept of working on a film that would be locked away for a hundred years. They even gave me silver tickets for my descendants to be at the premiere in Cognac in 2115. How cool is that? What John and I wanted it to be was a work of timeless art that can be enjoyed in 100 years. I'm very proud of it even if only my great grandkids and hopefully my clone will be around to watch."
In addition, Malkovich spoke about the film's concept:
"There were several options when the project was first presented of what [the future] would be. An incredibly high tech, beyond computerized version of the world, a post-Chernoybl, back to nature, semi-collapsed civilization and then there was a retro future which was how the future was imagined in science fiction of the 1940s or 50s."
Three different teasers for the film have been released, each one depicting a different vision of the future. A featurette has also been released, which contains interview footage of Rodriguez and Malkovich talking about the unique project.
