Before George Miller returns to the wasteland for Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, the legendary filmmaker will bring us an epic fantasy romance 20 years in the making.
Miller has been working on Three Thousand Years of Longing in some form or another for over two decades, and the movie was finally unveiled for its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last night. Reactions/reviews have been mostly positive, but the film definitely didn't seem to work for everyone.
Three Thousand Years of Longing follows a scholar (Tilda Swinton) on a trip to a speaking engagement in Istanbul who inadvertently summons a Djinn (Idris Elba). The genie-like entity then details his long journey through fantasy and history as he endeavours to tempt this scholar — who claims she wants for nothing — to make her three wishes.
The first trailer promises a visual treat, at the very least. Check it out below along with a poster, and let us know what you think.
"Dr Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic - content with life and a creature of reason," reads the official synopsis. "While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both."
Three Thousand Years of Longing is set to hit theaters on August 31.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.