Jean Reno Talks Rollerball

The cream of European cinema turned out for the European Film Awards this weekend and the swanky Parisian event simply wouldn't have been complete without the presence of the world's coolest Frenchman, Jean Reno. Having recently completed work on John McTiernan's updated version of Norman Jewison's Rollerball, Jean is once more eyeing the European screen for his next project. The actor promised his countrymen that he would balance each US blockbuster with at least one French film. 'Rollerball was great. John McTiernan's a fantastic director and I was very happy to have the chance to work with him, 'Jean said of the film which co-stars him with the likes of Chris Klein and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Set in the not-too-distant future, Rollerball revolves around the public thirst for violent sport and on one player's rise to iconic status within the ranks of the Rollerball league. 'Our version mainly differs from the original in rhythm,' Jean told us. 'That, and point of view. It doesn't have the same violence as the original and there's more of a connection between the game itself and the people. That's really the centre of the movie - the meaning of the game to the people watching it.' With the film due for release in Summer 2000, what does Jean think of his character? 'I play the guy who owns the media rights to the game. You know - the cool guy.' Empire Online wouldn't expect anything else.