Bill Condon had to leave after being called for some Twilight duties. This meant so many films had to take a back seat for the next couple of months. The chances of Salmon Fishing in Yemen were really slim after this happen to Bill Condon. The script was penned by Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy. It had received a lot of recognition after it was penned by Simon.
Despite Bill Condon’s exit Lasse Halstrom has jumped on board for this one. So he will be taking up the directing duties. The cast attached to the film include Ewan Mcgregor, Emily Blunt and Kristen Stewart Thomas.
Hallstrom has been really inconsistent for the last couple of years. He had his shining spots like in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape then there was My Life as a Dog. But after that he has been stuck in the studio formats. Chocolat was also another film that could mark a good era for the director. But it has not been all shining after that. But there is also one of my partial favorites Cider House Rules. It still takes me back to where I was when I first used to watch films.
Now this new film he will be taking up is an adaptation of Paul Torday’s bestselling novel, about a henpecked civil servant sent to, yes introduced salmon to the Yemen. It is also an experimental tome told entirely in emails, letters and interviews. The casting is still not clear but the cast is certain.
Ewan McGregor has still not played something substantial since the powerful Young Adam and the recent The Ghost. He really needs to up his game in this. Now the Lasse Halstrom exit from The Danish Girl is a cause of concern. Nicole Kidman has still not been able to zero on the cast. That project seems to be doomed in the inception itself.
Lasse has also several other projects in the pipeline like the planned love story My American Lover with Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. So his hands are full for couple of years now.