Ben Foster Talks Pandorum

Earlier this year, a sci-fi horror-thriller by the name of Pandorum popped firmly onto our radar when the insanely creepy poster and thrilling trailer were released for it. Another Pandorum poster soon followed that was equally as creepy as the first, and last month a full trailer for the film was released, which put it firmly on the list of anticipated films for 2009.

To promote Pandorum, actor Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, X-Men: The Last Stand) and few of the film’s other stars made an appearance at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors, where an interview with Foster revealed more about the film. Courtesy of io9, here is some of what Ben Foster had to say:

io9 – “Ben, what was it about this character that appealed to you?”

Ben Foster – “I liked the idea of not remembering who you are. And having to get back to a primitive reaction. I liked the nightmare element in it. I don’t know how you guys sleep, but I don’t sleep too well. I wanted to play with that experience of being so lost, having to depend on instinct. We’ve all had these nightmares actually getting to bring these things into a living experience was exciting to play with.”

io9 – “You mentioned that this movie is substantially violent, how so?”

Ben Foster – “It’s a thriller, a scifi horror movie. It bounces through a lot of different genres. I imagine it will appeal to a wider audience, it certainly scared the shit out of me when I read it…. When I read this script, it had me. There were a lot of interesting physical twists and physical demands which were exciting to play with.”

For the rest of the Pandorum interview, which features a spoiler about a possible plot twist (you were warned!), you can head over to io9.

I’ve always found Foster to be an interesting actor to watch. With his roles in such films as 3:10 To Yuma (he almost out-acted Russell Crowe and Christian Bale), Hostage (the film’s highlight), the TV show Six Feet Under (just one of many brilliant performances within the show), 30 Days of Night (he was one hell of a creepy stranger), Alpha Dog (about the only thing I thought was worth a damn in that movie) and heck, even in X-Men: The Last Stand he was good as the winged Angel.

Ben Foster in Pandorum

Pandorum looks like a great sci-fi/horror thrill ride that, as Foster mentions, mixes various genres to great affect. The trailers have been brilliantly put together, simultaneously giving us enough to get us intrigued, without giving away too much as to ruin any plot twists (which trailers for these types of movies often do). I personally can’t wait for the film.

Just as a reminder, Pandorum takes place on a ship which is millions of miles away from Earth, where Foster and his captain (played by Dennis Quaid) wake up with no memory of what’s happened or where the ship’s population of 60,000 has disappeared to. It stars Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, Cam Gigandet and Cung Le. It is directed by Christian Alvart.

What do you think of what Foster said about Pandorum? Are you looking forward to the movie?

Pandorum is scheduled for a release on September 4, 2009 in the US, and September 11, 2009 in the UK.

Source: io9