I'd love to do a gutsy thriller next: Danny

While hugely appreciative of the praise he’s getting for his latest film, Danny Boyle tells Reagan Gavin Rasquinha that he’s already looking ahead...
Danny Boyle is winning accolades galore for his latest, 127 Hours, a powerful film starring James Franco as real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah, for more than five days in 2003.The film, based on Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was written by Boyle and Simon Beaufoy and produced by Christian Colson, who previously teamed up for Slumdog Millionaire, and John Smithson. Although this and his last film are worlds apart, there is a common thread — that of the heroic — that runs through both.
Speaking from London, he explains: “People think it’s different but really, the tale of bravery that, at a certain level, is the same for all of us. It’s about difficulty and having a triumph in the end. Every one of us faces that at some level.” Boyle also sheds light on a deeper meaning in the flick. “There’s another story in here, and that’s about how important we are to each other without really realising it. Franco’s character is this selfish sort of person and the other message in the movie is that, during the course of his ordeal, he reaches out to people. So it’s about his emotional journey as well.”
As for his leading man and the film’s music composer (the music was nominated for a Golden Globe but lost out to Trent Reznor’s amazing work for The Social Network), he is all praise. “We saw about six to eight guys before settling down on James Franco. And as for AR Rahman’s score, it was complex and beautiful. I feel that people still don’t realise how talented Rahman really is. With that acoustic guitar sound, and despite being Indian, he managed to capture the mood of the Utah mountains so beautifully. It is a beautiful score indeed,” he says.
Danny also hasn’t ruled out working with some of the cast members of SM again. “I’d love work with Anil Kapoor again. I’d like to do a gutsy sort of thriller next. And I love surrounding myself with talented people. Because when you do, you get better yourself,” he explains. But looming large on his work horizon is a huge project indeed, as he signs off, “I’m busy doing the opening ceremony for the next Olympic games!”
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