On March 25, 2022, Paramount Pictures' The Lost City will release into theaters after premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier that same month. Since releasing its first trailer in December 2021, the film has received a noteworthy amount of hype for a non-franchise film.
With a star-studded cast, a surprisingly large budget, and the promise of a film with a unique blend of comedy, romance, and action, there are plenty of details excited moviegoers ought to know about The Lost City before seeing it when it reaches theaters.
The Lost City's Star-Studded Cast
Even in an age when a movie's characters and connections to a franchise bring in big money, an all-star cast is still a large asset, and The Lost City has many cards in its deck on that front. The film features Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe in the main roles, with Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nuñez, Patti Harrison, and Bowen Yang ing.
Considering some of Sandra Bullock's best roles are action heroines, it's refreshing to see that she'll be reprising that same spirit with this role, alongside action heavyweight Channing Tatum.
The Lost City's Premise
According to its website, The Lost City follow adventure-romance writer Loretta Sage (Bullock) as she is kidnapped by a billionaire (Radcliffe) who wishes to find the real lost city upon which her latest book is based. At the same time, the model for her book covers (Tatum) decides to prove himself to be the real deal by saving Loretta.
On top of Bullock's action prowess, Tatum's role seems reminiscent of the best treasure hunt movies out there.
The Lost City's Budget And Why It's Impressive
There's a sense nowadays in the film industry that a movie with either be an indie darling with a $5 million budget or a tentpole blockbuster with a $100 million budget, and in the latter case, it's nearly always set in an established action franchise.
The Lost City has a reported budget of $74 million, which puts it much closer to the blockbuster end of the spectrum, but because it's not part of an existing franchise, Paramount is risking a lot on this idea, but if the end result is a film that attracts audiences, no only will a sequel be due, but, hopefully, more films that take chances like this one.
The Lost City's Original Title
By the time Lost City's December 2021 trailer starting getting buzz, the film was known by its current title. However, according to Deadline, it only settled on this two months before, with its title all through production being The Lost City of D.
Although Deadline Hollywood didn't report on the reason for the title change, it was likely due to the desire for there to be no association with the 2017 film one of Tom Holland's best non-MCU films. The two films share no other similarities, so the title change was done to reflect that.
The Lost City's Genre Blending
The Lost City will be a mix of three different genres: romance, action-adventure, and comedy. Although the latter two genres have a recent history with the likes of Red Notice, the fact that romance will play a significant part makes it stand out in an otherwise crowded field.
Aside from exceptions like the first Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The Lost City's Very Famous Cameo Exchange
Speaking of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Brad Pitt will have a cameo in the film as a CIA agent who aids in the rescue effort for Loretta, according to HollywoodLife.com.
Bullet Train in exchange for him ing Bullock in The Lost City." Considering that it only took four days to film his scenes, it's no wonder that Pitt's role is assumed to be a cameo.
The Lost City's Exotic Filming Locations
What's a good treasure-hunting film without some travel involved? It's no small part of the genre's appeal, because while action movies in general provide emotional escapism, treasure-hunting films in particular also provide escapism in the form of travel to memorable, faraway places.
According to Casa de Campo Living, The Lost City filmed in several locations in the Dominican Republic, including Casa de Campos, Samana, Santo Domingo, and the Pinewood Studios location in the country. Considering how often green screens are used, it's refreshing to see on-location shooting, especially in light of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Woman Behind The Lost City's Music
An industry trailblazer, Pinar Toprak is the woman creating the music for The Lost City. The Turkish-American composer's most high-profile scores aside from The Lost City include the DC comics-based TV shows Fortnite.
Between her background and her high-profile work in a historically male-dominated field, Toprak's work also merits praise, and the fact that she's getting to make another mark in the industry is nothing but exciting.
The Brothers Who Directed The Lost City
The Lost City is directed by the brothers Adam and Aaron Nee, best known for the 2015 film Band of Robbers, inspired by the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn novels. Considering that film is a mixture of adventure, comedy, and crime, it's no surprise the two got the Lost City directors' chairs.
However, the two of them first got notice, albeit in a smaller form, with their 2006 indie directorial debut, The Last Romantic, a comedy drama that follows a poet who moves to New York City and has strange encounters with several locals.
The Lost City's Surprising (And Promising) John Wick Connection
One of the most common complaints about action films, ones that John Wick largely avoided, was hard-to-follow camera shots and quick-cutting. While he only has control over the former, Sela's involvement in the film bodes well for its depiction of action sequences considering his previous experience.
