— by TOM ELCE —
Little is given away by the new set photo from “The Lovely Bones” (courtesy of Entertainment Weekly), save that director Peter Jackson’s lining up some special effects work for his adaptation of the same-titled novel by Alice Sebold.
Thus far in his directing career, Jackson’s eye for scale has made up for much of his reliance on pre-existing material to turn out a film during his ongoing golden age (post “Lord of the Rings”), though there doesn’t appear to be too much room for his broader traits with the material he’s working with here — the story of a murdered girl watching over her family and her killer from heaven.
The film stars Saoirse Ronan (of “Atonement” and “City of Ember” fame) as lead Susie Salmon and is on the receiving end of some high praise from Jackson.
“Saoirse [Ronan] has that X factor,” Jackson told EW). “It’s more than just acting skill; she makes you want to watch her. It’s an incredible quality that only the very best film stars have. Saoirse reminds me of a young Cate Blanchett. She’s terrifically gifted and she commands attention — it’s quite phenomenal. Yet when you say ‘Cut,’ she’s a teenager again: full of life and bouncy and funny and incredibly witty.”
Also showing up in “The Lovely Bones” are Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon.
“The Lovely Bones” opens in the U.S. on limited release Dec. 11, expanding on Jan. 15.
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I loved the book.