Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Writer, Director, Object of Teenage Lust

During his six seasons on the spacey sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, which ran between 1996 and 2001, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was often asked to appear in teen magazines. They were requests that might make some stars happy, but something felt sordid about the whole thing—and, in this week’s issue of TIME, the actor explains how he put that experience to good use in his first go at writing and directing a feature film. The movie—Don Jon, out Sept. 27 and starring Gordon-Levitt opposite Scarlett Johansson, as a man and woman hooked on porn (him) and romance (her)—turns a satirical eye to the role of mass media and pornography in our culture.

Read the full story unblock blocked websites and check out an excerpt from that conversation below

TIME: As someone who’s made a movie about the way that fiction influences our real lives, how does that affect making your own fiction, a whole movie that also has that ability to influence people?

JGL: I wanted the movie itself to be guilty of some of these same things and lure the audience down the same road, especially the second act of the movie where the conventional romance is moving right along. It uses all those same devices, the beautiful dolly shots and the sweeping string section, the gorgeous lighting and all that stuff. I like it when movies sort of are, I guess, self-culpable. Godard does this a lot unblocked minecraft. That’s actually one of the references I brought up to Scarlett early on: Brigitte Bardot in Contempt. The movie is constantly seducing you with her beauty and her sex appeal and then suddenly slapping you across the face and saying ‘look at what you’re doing, look at how you’re relating to this woman on the screen.’

So you’re a cynic about love, since all those romantic clichés are totally taken apart…

I don’t think it’s cynical. I think it’s rather idealistic. If you’re comparing your lover to this checklist, that’s not romantic. That’s consumerism. What’s romantic is finding the nuances and the details that are unlike anybody else—I can talk to her in a way, or she does this thing that’s completely unique—that’s where the most sexy stuff comes from, I think. You’ll miss all those details and nuances if you’re too busy comparing your reality to these more two-dimensional fantasies that you see on screen.

Does the source of the fantasy, whether it’s a rom-com or pornography, does that matter?

What I’ve been saying is no. I think whether it’s rated X or approved for general viewing audiences, the message is the same: you’re taking a person—in our culture it’s usually a woman—and reducing her to a thing, to an object for your consumption. I think plenty of mainstream media is equally guilty of that as pornography. That’s why I wanted to put pornography at the center of this movie, to compare the rest of our media to pornography. I’ve been [getting questions] like, ‘So, a movie about pornography!’ ‘So, how much pornography do you watch?’ and that’s kind of really missing the point.

But you had to expect that…

It’s to be expected. I’m not mad about it.

Did the idea start with the pornography angle?

The first germ of the story was probably me feeling like a bit of an object myself and thinking about how media contributes to that. When I was on TV when I was a teenager, they always wanted me to be in teen magazines. I really didn’t want to be in teen magazines but it’s a strong promotional tool for a television show. I remember even then making the argument to people who didn’t get it, or who were maybe even freaked out that this 14-year-old was comparing teen magazines to pornography, I remember making that comparison back then.

Do you see the way our culture objectifies people improving in the future?

I think that it’s valid to be optimistic, especially if you zoom out a little bit and compare the way that love and sex works now compared to 100 years ago or 1,000 years ago. I think we’re a lot healthier than we used to be. We’re far from perfect.

So, I have to ask you about the persistent rumors that you’ll return to the Batman universe. Do you have any plans to actually do it?

No, I don’t. I love [The Dark Knight Rises]. I love all three of those movies and I’m delighted to be in it. I thought it was a really great ending to a trilogy. So.

And what about Guys and Dolls with you and Channing Tatum?

Chan and I really want to make a musical together and we’ve been talking about what it could be. That’s been one of the ideas that we’ve been playing with, but it’s super early in the process and who knows what we’ll ultimately end up doing.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt leaves Sandman film adaptation

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who signed on as a producer and possible star for a movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comic book series, told fans he has left the project over creative differences with its studio.

Levitt delivered the news over the weekend, explaining that he couldn't see eye-to-eye with New Line Cinema. The Sandman project, Gordon-Levitt said, changed hands after he came aboard, going to New Line as a creative decision by Warner Bros. to put its Vertigo comics properties under New Line.

"A few months ago, I came to realize that the folks at New Line and I just don't see eye to eye on what makes Sandman special, and what a film adaptation could/should be," he wrote on his Facebook page. "So unfortunately, I decided to remove myself from the project."

Gaiman followed up on Twitter to compliment Gordon-Levitt but note to followers that "I don't choose who writes scripts, the director, producer or cast," as he doesn't own the series.

Taken one way, Gordon-Levitt's departure is a setback for the adaptation, especially if there was to be any chance for the star of The Dark Knight Rises to also star in this. Of course, if Gordon-Levitt's differences were so profound he has to leave now, it could mean this is barreling along toward certain production.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Leaves ‘Sandman’ Adaptation, Producing Ku Klux Klan Movie at Amazon

Just last month, Oliver Stone’s true story drama Snowden was pushed back yet again to a release date this fall, around the same time The Walk debuted last year, another movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. However, one of the actor’s developing projects won’t have the benefit of his talents any longer.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt posted an update to his Facebook page that he has left the adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s beloved comic series Sandman, citing creative difference with the studio. But the actor has also set up another project that he’s producing and may also star in at Amazon. Get details on both of these projects below.
First up, here’s the post detailing Joseph Gordon-Levitt leaving Sandman from Facebook:

So, as you might know if you like to follow these sorts of things, a while back, David Goyer and I made a producing deal with Warner Brothers to develop a movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN. Neil himself came on as an executive producer, we hired the excellent screenwriter, Jack Thorne, and we started in on the ambitious task of adapting one of the most beloved and boundary-pushing titles in the world of comics. I was pleased with the progress we were making, even though we still had quite a ways to go.
Recently, as you also might know if you like to follow these sorts of things, the sorta “ownership” (for lack of a better term) of the Sandman material changed hands when Warner Brothers shifted the entire catalogue of Vertigo comics (an imprint of DC) to their subsidiary, New Line. And a few months ago, I came to realize that the folks at New Line and I just don’t see eye to eye on what makes Sandman special, and what a film adaptation could/should be. So unfortunately, I decided to remove myself from the project. I wish nothing but the best for the team moving forward.
I’d like to thank all the great people I’ve had the opportunity to work with on this one. I’ve had a blast with and learned a ton from David and Jack. Niija Kuykendall, Greg Silverman, and everyone at Warner Brothers have been fantastic, as have Geoff Johns and everyone at DC. And it’s been a particular privilege as well as a rocking good time getting to know Mr. Gaiman, whose generous insights and masterful work have certainly convinced me that the Lord of Dreams and the Prince of Stories are one and the same Endless pattern.

Gordon-Levitt first boarded the project back in 2013 with David Goyer producing and Jack Thorne writing the script. The last update from the actor actually came the day after Vertigo comic book titles went over to New Line, but in the months since that announcement last June, it appears development on the project has gone south. That’s really a bummer, because Gordon-Levitt has been extremely passionate about the project. At one time he said:

Big spectacular action movies are generally about crime fighters fighting crime and blowing shit up. This has nothing to do with that. And it was actually one of the things that Neil Gaiman said to me, he said, ‘Don’t have any punching.’ Because he never does. If you read the comics, Morpheus doesn’t punch anybody. That’s not what he does. It’s going to be like a grand spectacular action film, but that relies on none of those same old ordinary clichés. So that’s why it’s taking a lot of time to write, but it’s going to be really good.

Maybe New Line is interested in turning this into a more traditional comic book action flick, and that’s why Joseph Gordon-Levitt left the project. Either way it’s a disappointing update. Coincidentally enough, Gordon-Levitt’s announcement comes after THR reported A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot and The Thing remake writer Eric Heisserer was hired to take a crack at the script.

Perhaps his hiring may have something to do with Gordon-Levitt’s departure? Heisserer’s previous work on the page doesn’t inspire much faith, but he does have the sci-fi drama The Story of Your Life being directed by Denis Villeneuve, so maybe we just haven’t seen work that has let him live up to his potential. We’ll find out eventually, assuming Sandman actually gets off the ground. At least we know Neil Gaiman doesn’t have any hard feelings about his departure:

Otherwise, Gordon-Levitt will be keeping busy over at Amazon Studios by producing a movie called K Troop. According to THR, the film will follow the rise of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War and the U.S. Army unit known as K Troop who fought against them. The project is early in development with Gordon-Levitt potentially taking the role of Major Lewis Merrill, the leader of the unit who used African-American to help bring down the KKK. The project is still early in development, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

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