Eighteen years ago on Halloween, River Phoenix's promising acting career was cut short when he died of a drug overdose in West Hollywood. At the time of his death at age 23, Phoenix was shooting a drama called Dark Blood, playing a widowed hermit who lives at a nuclear testing site, preparing for the apocalypse. After Phoenix's death, the film's Dutch director, George Sluizer, locked up the unfinished footage, fearing it might be destroyed. Now, Sluizer says he's found a way to edit and finish the film, provided River's brother, Joaquin, helps out with voiceover work. Should the movie be released?
It's an intriguing idea: "I'm excited" by this prospect, says Drew McWeeny at HitFix. River Phoenix was a "brilliant" actor with a "remarkable presence." I read the Dark Blood script back in the day and remember thinking it would be a challenging film to do right given the tone. But, whether handled well or not, it will be fascinatingly "surreal to see a new film starring someone who's been dead so long."
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