By no means glad with conference, director Steven Soderbergh noticed his newest function “Black Bag” as a possibility to not solely deconstruct the spy style, but in addition problem preconceived notions round marriage. The movie stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as married intelligence brokers pressured to reassess their loyalties to 1 one other. A famous cinephile, Soderbergh just lately shared throughout a latest interview with Selection that he and screenwriter David Koepp took inspiration from a traditional supply.
“David and I talked about what it might be like if George and Martha had been spies,” he stated. “We needed to make an espionage model of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’”
The Edward Albee play was famously tailored in 1966 for a movie by Mike Nichols starring real-life husband and spouse Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Soderbergh is a large fan of the movie and was a detailed affiliate of Nichols earlier than he died in 2014. They even did a commentary observe collectively for the DVD launch of “Virginia Woolf.” Although the fabric he selected to reference for the movie is slightly dour and darkish, Soderbergh nonetheless needed “Black Bag” to be extra of a blockbuster than a severe affair.
“There’s a model of this film the place you go a really completely different approach. The place you don’t glam it up and also you make it grittier and tougher and type of much less enjoyable. And that simply wasn’t what I had in thoughts,” stated Soderbergh. “We felt this was an actual Hollywood film and it is best to get film stars, and it is best to make them look nice. That was the film I needed to make.”
Whereas “Virginia Woolf” could have been a robust reference, the movie additionally owes loads to the spy style, with Fassbender even resembling John le Carré’s beloved George Smiley to a sure diploma. On the identical time, Soderbergh and Koepp didn’t need this to be simply one other “Bourne” film or variation of the like.
“David discovered a option to preserve it recent,” Soderbergh instructed Selection. “He discovered a option to differentiate it by going type of slender and deep on the character work, versus let’s flip it into an motion spectacle. It’s an emotional, psychological spectacle.”
One other subversion Soderbergh and Koepp slipped into “Black Bag” is how the connection between Fassbender and Blanchett’s character isn’t as poisonous as one could assume. Although their jobs are to maintain and acquire secrets and techniques, there’s a refreshing affection between the 2 that feels surprising and can preserve audiences on their toes.
“It’s additionally uncommon to see a film a few marriage during which an affair will not be the purpose,” stated Soderbergh. “And I like this concept that the opposite folks they work with are type of aggravated at how effectively their marriage works.”
“Black Bag” is at present in theaters from Focus Options.