Kirsten Dunstand Daniel Brühlwill joinKeanu Reevesfor Ruben Östlund’sThe Entertainment System Is Down.News of Reeves' involvement first surfaced last month. According toDeadline,Östlund purchased a retired Boeing 747 for the film’s production, which will reportedly be used full scale for the shoot in a studio. The upcoming filmtakes place on a long flight where the entertainment system fails, and passengers areforced to face the horror of being bored.
Östlund is a two-time Palme d’Or winning filmmaker, earning the honor forThe SquareandTriangle of Sadness. The latter also earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay.The Entertainment System Is Downmarks the Swedish filmmakers' second English language film.
The movie brings together production companies from Sweden, Germany, and France. It also marks a reunion for the director with frequent collaborators: Erik Hemmendorff (Plattform Produktion) and Philippe Bober (Coproduction Office, Paris). Bober’s company is also handling international sales for the movie. With buzz already building, pre-sales are expected to wrap up at the Cannes market this week.
While Brühl, Dunst, and Reeves are currently the only names publicly attached to the film, it is expected that other acclaimed actors will board the project.
A Test of Patience in The Entertainment System Is Down
Östlund cited a Virginia University study titledThe Challenge Of The Disengaged Mindas inspiration forthe social satire film. This study showed people preferred a mildly painful electric shock to being alone with their thoughts for even a short time. In the experiment, participants could give themselves a slight shock at the press of a button if they wanted. Many people chose the shock, with one man pressing the button 190 times in just 15 minutes.
During an interview withDeadlinelast year, Östlund shared that one of the scenes in the film may prompt theater walk-outs. Shot in real-time, the scene will put audiences in a young boy’s shoes as he is forced to wait ten minutes to use the family iPad.
“We’ll go from a dynamic film to a real-time shot where we see this kid dealing with restlessness for 10 minutes… After a bit the kid will ask how much time has passed and the answer will be, ‘There are nine minutes and 30 seconds left.” He adds: “It’s a very strong moment… It will be super interesting when the audience comes to understand it’s being challenged by director and starts thinking, ‘Are we going to sit and watch this kid for 10 minutes?’ I think it’s more provocative than any other content… You can create something spectacular, out of something that is not spectacular.”
Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock Tease Speed 3 Could Happen Before They ‘Leave This Planet’
Speed 3 could happen if Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock’s tease is anything to go by, as they hope to work together again.
Reeves has several projects in different stages of development. He will next appear inSonic the Hedgehog 3, voicing Shadow, and will reprise the role of John Wick for the Ana de Armas-ledBallerina. He will also star in Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut,Good Fortune. Later this year, Brühl will be seen portraying iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld inBecoming Karl Lagerfeld; the series premieres on Disney+ on July 02, 2025.
Filming forThe Entertainment System Is Downis scheduled to commence in early 2025.
