When rock photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn took on the daunting task of helming the Ian Curtis biopic Control, he had a lot to overcome: Corbijn had never directed a feature film before and attempting to portray a beloved band like Joy Division would be a precarious proposition for even the most seasoned filmmaker. He was, however, up to the task, delivering a solid directorial debut that pleased both critics and Joy Division fans alike.
In the upcoming documentary Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn, Corbijn’s famous friends and collaborators tell “the story of the ultimate insider who now finds himself outside the Hollywood system and far enough away from the dizzying orbits of fame to make things a little uncomfortable… and very interesting,” a description on the production company’s site reads.
Corbijn, who is publishing a photo/lyric book this fall with longtime portrait subject and friend Tom Waits, wouldn’t get just anybody to tell the story of his transition from photographer to director: the cast list includes Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bono, Michael Stipe, Brandon Flowers, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, and more.
Shadow Play is currently doing the festival circuit, but with famous names like those mentioned above, a wider release (and a trailer?) should be in the near future.