William Fichtner, a native of the Western New York area, received a star and signed his name to cement during the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. We covered the event and got to briefly ask him about rumors that he had joined the cast of Elysium.
For those who may not know, William Fichtner is a character actor that has been working steadily for over more than twenty years. Horror fans have seen him most recently as "The Accountant" in Drive Angry 3D, but he has also had roles in The Dark Knight, Black Hawk Down, Contact, Prison Break, and many other films and TV shows.
On Sunday he stopped by downtown Buffalo to kick off the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival and was the first recipient of the local "walk of fame" star. William Fichtner thanked those who attended, including his friends and family, signed his name to a panel of cement that will accompany the star, and also took time to answer press questions and sign autographs for fans.
During my time with William Fichtner, I asked him about the Variety report that said he was in negotiations to star in Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium. While he doesn't know if it is "100% official" yet, he confirmed that he has been in-talks for a role and it seems like it is just a matter of getting the contract finalized at this point. He also confirmed that he has read the script, but like other big movies, there is so much secrecy around the plot details that he had to read it in a secure room and wasn't allowed to take a copy with him.
Elysium stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley and is a future-world sci-fi epic in which Matt Damon is rumored to be an ex-con. William Fichtner mentioned that the cast, story, and Neill Blomkamp's vision for film is what drew him to this role and made him excited about taking this project on.
Sadly, he said he was able to tell us "less than zero" about his character in the film and whether he was playing a villain or hero. Also, it appears that it will be a bit of a wait before we get final plot and casting details, as he told us he hasn't received a shooting date yet. Elysium won't be out in theaters until March 8, 2013.
As for other projects, Fichtner mentioned that he hopes to write and direct his own film in the near future and is circling a role in Quentin Dupieux's upcoming comedy, Wrong.
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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