Bobby Fischer is the most famous chess player of all time, a child prodigy who turned into a grandmaster and, eventually, unraveled in his own mind. The new trailer for Pawn Sacrifice shows us Fischer’s rise to popularity and his showdown with Boris Spassky (Live Schreiber), complete with the geopolitical implications ad crumbling paranoia that was ultimately Fischer’s undoing.
Here is the Pawn Sacrifice trailer:
It’s been a while since Maguire has sunk his teeth into a role, and he looks promising in Pawn Sacrifice. The film has a Beautiful Mind vibe to it, the story of a mad genius. Edward Zwick, whose career has had its ups and downs, from the highs of Glory and Blood Diamond, to the lows of Love and Other Drugs, directs Pawn Sacrifice.
Aside from Maguire and Schreiber in the lead roles, Pawn Sacrifice stars Peter Sarsgaard and Lily Rabe. It will hit theaters in limited released on September 18.
Many of you are probably fans of, or at least have heard of, Robert Kirkman. If that name doesn’t ring any bells then it’s likely that you haven’t ever read or watched The Walking Dead. That is something you should rectify in the coming days. Despite being mostly known for his dramatic work, Kirkman has a history of writing comedic tales having authored the stupid, but hilarious Battle Pope series. In 2006, following their Civil War event, Marvel launched “The Irredeemable Ant-Man” penned by Kirkman and drawn by the immensely talented Phil Hester. In it, we are introduced to Eric O’Grady, a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and compulsive liar who steals a new Ant-Man prototype suit from the body of his dead friend (yes, really). Instead of using the suit to fight crime, Eric uses it to steal, con people into buying him dinner and perv on women to varying degrees of sucess. All the while, O’Grady is engaged in a cat and mouse game with his former friend, Agent Mitch Carson. What follows are 12 issues of unadulterated fun and a protagonist that you can’t help but like despite his despicable nature. Kirkman weaves a fascinating tale which concludes on an optimistic note with Grady and the audience hoping that he can become a better man, that there is something good in him.
If you are interested in reading up on the original Ant-Man, the original graphic novel; Ant-Man: Season One would be a good place to start. My personal favourite take on the character can be found in the excellent Avengers Academy. The series sees Pym, and a number of other veteran Avengers, mentor a group of young super-humans who due to their tragic origins possess the potential to be either the next generation of heroes or some of the most devastating villains the Marvel universe has ever known.
What is clear from is that Ant-Man in all his incarnations is a flawed character with a dubious past who on some level or another uses his power to find some level of redemption. For some it works for others their sins remain with them and having lasting consequences on their interactions with other characters. It’s great that Ant-Man is finally getting a chance to star in his own movie. For many years, the character has been relegated to the side-lines; a joke. While this film is surely to feature a great deal of comedy, it also has the potential to give legitimacy to a character who has often be forgotten by the comic reading public. Ant-Man is proof that every hero, no matter how small or seemingly irredeemable, has an opportunity to shine.