With definite hints of Terry Gilliam and the early absurdity of Charlie Kaufman, everything we’ve seen of Darkplace/I.T. Crowd veteran and Submarine director Richard Ayoade’s latest, The Double, has ready to watch it. Now here comes another stylish trailer for the film, which should keep the anticipation cooking.
Jesse Eisenberg handles the dual role of Simon James, a nerdy, unimpressive drone whose unsatisfying life is thrown into chaos by the sudden arrival of his doppelganger, James Simon. This copy is actually funnier, sexier and much more confident than poor Simon, and soon – as the story spun in the voice-over here suggests – the original (or is he?) is under threat from his more impressive double.
Drawing from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella, Ayoade wrote the script with Avi Korine and scored a cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Sally Hawkins, Wallace Shawn, James Fox, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, Craig Roberts, and an actor the director knows quite well, some chancer named Chris O’Dowd.
We were impressed by this one at the London Film Festival, and it’ll be in cinemas on April 4 (US audiences will get a look starting May 9).