The spirit of Indiana Jones is woven into the fabric of the new movie “Fountain of Youth.” This lighthearted, globe-trotting heist directed by Guy Ritchie debuts on Apple TV+ this Friday. Featuring Natalie Portman and John Krasinski as estranged siblings, the film follows their quest to piece together historical facts in their pursuit of the mythical spring. Their adventure takes them to exhilarating locales, from the elegant streets of Vienna to the legendary pyramids , as they navigate challenges from authorities and a mysterious organization determined to thwart their search.
“I’ve been looking to watch this movie for years,” Krasinski shared during an interview with The Associated Press. “This is the movie I pretended to be in when I was a kid. This is what got me into the business.” This candid remark sets the tone for a film that blends nostalgia with a thrilling storyline.
The supporting cast includes Domnhall Gleeson as the wealthy businessman funding the operation and Eiza González as one of the guardians of the Fountain of Youth. González expressed her excitement about the project, stating, “Guy Ritchie gets to work with some of the best cast in the world. The biggest gift Guy has given me, besides the privilege of working with him, is working with them.” Gleeson, a newcomer to Ritchie’s films, felt optimistic about the project from the start. “Guy basically said, if you’re not having fun, then this is not going to work,” he recalled. “So the idea is to turn up and have fun.”
Something for the Whole Family
There are many elements in “Fountain of Youth” that attracted Portman. The opportunity to collaborate with Ritchie, Krasinski, and the entire cast was alluring, but she also sought a film she could share with her children. “It’s so rare to get to make a movie that has this scale and this scope of adventure that you can watch with your kids,” Portman said. “I’m always looking for something that I can enjoy with my children.”
Portman’s character, Charlotte, is an art historian who enjoyed an adventurous childhood with her explorer father and brother Luke (Krasinski). However, her life has since taken a more conventional path. As the film begins, she navigates a contentious divorce and custody battle over her son. When Luke unexpectedly pilfers a piece of art from her gallery and ropes her into his larger mission, she finds herself donning scuba gear to hunt for a lost Rembrandt in the wreckage of the RMS Lusitania.
“I think that something we search for as adults is how to regain that youthful spirit,” Portman reflects, connecting her experiences to those of her character. “Maybe that can make you a better parent to have a little bit of that glint in your eye.” Her dynamic with Krasinski flourished on screen, as they embraced their roles as siblings with ease. “These movies sort of live and die with the relationships,” Krasinski noted. “I laughed with her every single day. She’s so funny.”
A Historic Shoot at the Pyramids
Globe-trotting films create unique adventures not only for the audience but also for the cast and crew. The journey for “Fountain of Youth” spanned the streets of Bangkok and Liverpool, the Austrian National Library in Vienna, and a memorable shoot at the Great Pyramids . This production distinguished itself as the first film of its scale to be granted permission to shoot action sequences at such an iconic historical site.
“It was really a pinch-me kind of moment to be like, oh, those are the pyramids, and we’re just hanging out here, filming,” Portman remarked. The grandeur of the location was matched only by the ambition of their stunts, which included landing a Boeing Chinook CH47 helicopter and detonating a jeep—all while tourists remained on-site. Krasinski humorously added, “With any luck, we didn’t blow it for Hollywood going back there for somebody else.”
For safety reasons, most intricate action scenes set “inside” the pyramids were filmed at Leavesden Studio in London. Here, they constructed an elaborate wreckage of the Lusitania, filling a massive water tank that took two weeks to fill.
An Epic Made for the Small Screen
At first glance, “Fountain of Youth” may seem tailor-made for theaters: a blockbuster budget with major stars and breathtaking vistas. However, Krasinski, a staunch advocate for the cinematic experience, is not sorrowful that this film will primarily be streaming. “This was always going to be a streaming movie,” he stated. “I think that’s the new reality. There are definitely movies that are being made for streaming, and there are movies made for theatrical release.”
Krasinski added, “It all depends on what the filmmaker’s intent was, what the studio’s intent is. As long as those rules are laid out clearly, I’m down for either one.” This perspective reflects the evolving landscape of film distribution and audience expectations in the modern age.
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