Viggo Mortensen Gets Co

If someone was to stop you on the streets and ask what the upcoming film Captain Fantasticwas about, odds are you would guess that it is the latest movie to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, truth be told, that would be a damn good guess. I mean, there is Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Fourand Captain Marvel, as well. (For those of you who grew up in the 70’s, there is also the chance that you would think Captain Fantastic was an Elton John biopic based on his album entitled “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”.) Unfortunately, though, that guess could not be further from the truth.

Captain Fantastic, directed by Matt Ross and set to be released sometime in 2015, is about as far from a superhero movie as one can get. Set in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, the story for Captain Fantastic centers around a father who chooses to turn his back on society and raise his six children in the style of Thoreau’s Walden days. Viggo Mortensen, who plays the father in the film, directs his children in combat and survival skills during the day, and adds to these lessons by homeschooling them in the classics during any free time.

Sam frames up a shot with the #MōVI Controller in Index, WA for a stunt on the upcoming feature "Captain Fantastic". pic.twitter.com/uCVcmOOqvJ

— Freefly Cinema (@freeflycinema) July 26, 2014

All is fine and dandy at Walden 2.0 until Mortensen and his children are forced to leave their rural utopia and deal with the plagues of modern society.

“This is a project we all fell in love with and was voted best script of 2014 by our distribution teams on the ground. It is a very original story, both funny and deeply emotional and a wonderful role for Viggo. I don’t think we have read anything like it since Little Miss Sunshine, but this is altogether very different,” stated the president of Entertainment One Films International, Harold van Lier.

The upcoming 'Captain Fantastic' just added a few more cast members: http://t.co/s6FX5rYNVt

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 4, 2014

Monday, more of Mortensen’s co-stars were revealed for the upcoming film. Joining Mortensen for the film will be Steve Zahn, Kathryn Hahn, Missi Pyle and Erin Moriarty. Zahn most recently received acclaim for his role in Dallas Buyer’s Club, while Hahn last starred in Bad Wordsand Pyle in Gone Girl. It was earlier announced that Tony Award winner Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) would also join the loaded cast.

While Mortensen will be surrounded by great actors and actresses, one can rightfully guess that he will receive most of the attention given Ross’s fanboyish crush: ”Viggo Mortensen’s dedication to his craft and to the world of the story he’s telling have been an inspiration to me for years. There is a depth to his art that I greatly admire. Any film he’s in is a film I want to see. He’s one of the greats. Getting to collaborate with him on Captain Fantastic is quite literally the best thing that’s happened to me since my wife asked me to marry her.”

Until the release of Captain Fantastic, Ross and other Mortensen fans can get their fix by watching The Two Faces of January, set to hit theaters on August 28.

Image via YouTube