An in-depth exclusive interview with directors AARON NEE and ADAM NEE talking the fun, adventure, and challenges of making THE LOST CITY.
Pulling on the heartstrings of nostalgia and 80’s adventure films and comedies like Romancing the Stone and Raiders of the Lost Ark, AARON NEE and ADAM NEE hit the mother lode with the oh-so-fun film, THE LOST CITY.
SYNOPSIS: “Brilliant, but reclusive author Loretta Sage has spent her career writing about exotic places in her popular romance-adventure novels featuring handsome cover model Alan, who has dedicated his life to embodying the hero character, “Dash.” While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes that she can lead him to the ancient lost city’s treasure from her latest story. Wanting to prove that he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic jungle adventure, the unlikely pair will need to work together to survive the elements and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.”
Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt, Oscar Nunez, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, THE LOST CITY is co-directed by AARON NEE and ADAM NEE and written by Oren Uziel and Dana Fox together with Aaron and Adam.
Shot in the Dominican Republic, Aaron and Adam called upon acclaimed cinematographer Jonathan Sela to capture not only the beauty of the landscape but to create a visual grammar that captured the emotionality of the story and characters. Looking to films like The Wizard of Oz for visual inspiration, “the intention of each scene” was key to developing its look. As Aaron and Adam noted, “We don’t think that comedies have to look bad. A comedy shouldn’t be an excuse for not putting in the effort and time it takes to make something look really cinematic. We can be both funny and have this epic scope and beauty.” Helping with the epic look is production designer Jim Bissell, a favorite artisan on George Clooney films.
And funny is one of the watchwords with THE LOST CITY thanks to its extremely funny cast. Bullock and Tatum have long proven their comedic chops, as has Brad Pitt. A real joy, however, is Daniel Radcliffe delivering a rather villainous scene-stealing performance as the eccentric billionaire Abigail Fairfax. A fantastic addition to the cast is Oscar Nunez who is a pure delight giving us a nod and a wink to prior roles in a Sandra Bullock film. Notable is that as you look and listen, there are plenty of Easter eggs throughout the film that joyously wink at recognizable films of the 80’s and early 90’s.
But it falls to editor Craig Alpert to find the tonal balance between comedy beats and quiet emotional moments. To find that balance required a lot of exploration, “because you don’t want to lean too far into any direction where you stop losing the heart, or so it becomes too broad.”
The icing on the cake, however, is a perfect meld of score by Pinar Toprak and distinctively recognizable needledrops striking the challenging balance of adventure, romance, and comedy. The score carried that burden while remaining in tune with what each scene needed to be doing in any given moment.
As AARON NEE and ADAM NEE dig into the making of THE LOST CITY in this exclusive interview, at the end of the day it’s very clear that it takes a village to create a lost city.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 05/06/2022
THE LOST CITY is available on May 10, 2022 on Paramount+ and to purchase on Digital with Behind-the-Scenes Interviews, Uproarious Bloopers, and More Footage Not Seen In Theaters! It will be on 4K ULTRA HD™, BLU-RAY™ & DVD on July 26, 2022.
