Chaos Walking (film)
No official tagline is widely recorded for the film's marketing.
Chaos Walking is a 2021 American dystopian science-fiction action-thriller film directed by Doug Liman and written by Patrick Ness and Christopher Ford. Based on Ness's science fiction trilogy, adapting its first book, 2008's The Knife of Never Letting Go, the film stars Daisy Ridley, Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen, Demián Bichir, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas, and David Oyelowo. It follows a young man in a dystopian world without women, where all living creatures can hear each other's thoughts in streams called 'Noise'; when a woman crash-lands on the planet, he protects her from danger.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Doug Liman
- Producer
- Doug Davison / Allison Shearmur / Erwin Stoff / Alison Winter
- Screenplay
- Patrick Ness / Christopher Ford
- Based On
- The Knife of Never Letting Go · Patrick Ness
- Starring
- Daisy Ridley / Tom Holland / Mads Mikkelsen / Demián Bichir / Cynthia Erivo / Nick Jonas / David Oyelowo
- Music
- Marco Beltrami / Brandon Roberts
- Cinematography
- Ben Seresin
- Editing
- Doc Crotzer
- Studio
- TIK Films / Quadrant Pictures / Allison Shearmur Productions / 3 Arts Entertainment / Hercules Film Fund / Bron Creative
- Distributor
- Lionsgate
- Released
- 24 February 2021 · South Korea · 2021 · 3 · 5 · United States
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Announced in 2011, the film underwent several rewrites based on an initial draft by Charlie Kaufman, with Jamie Linden, John Lee Hancock, Gary Spinelli, Lindsey Beer, Ford, and Ness revising it further. Doug Liman was announced as director in 2016, and principal photography began in 2017. Originally set to release on March 1, 2019, it was removed from the schedule to accommodate reshoots in April 2019 after poor test screenings. The film premiered in South Korea on February 24, 2021, and in the United States on March 5, 2021.
Reader's Guide
Chaos Walking received generally negative reviews from critics who derided the lack of character development and overall execution. It was labeled a box office bomb, grossing $27.1 million worldwide against a $100–125 million budget, resulting in a massive write-down for Lionsgate. The film's troubled production, including multiple rewrites, delayed reshoots due to actor commitments, and a final budget increase of $15 million, contributed to its poor reception. Despite a cast of popular young actors, the film failed to resonate with audiences or critics, becoming a notable commercial failure.
Did You Know?
- The film's reshoots, directed by Fede Álvarez, added $15 million to the budget, bringing the total to $100 million.
- Dog actors Wiston and Lamborghini both portrayed Manchee the Dog.
- Óscar Jaenada was cast as Wilf, but all of his scenes were eventually cut from the film.
- The film's Blu-ray was released on June 1, 2021, and includes approximately 30 minutes of deleted scenes.
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