My introduction to Eric Bana came with Ang Lee’s Hulk and, on a more credible level, Steven Spielberg’s Munich. Somehow I completely missed the actor’s breakout role in the 2000 movie, Chopper, so I can’t say I’m excited or disappointed with the news that Bana may be signing on for a second run with this character, Mark “Chopper” Read.
The first movie is based on the autobiography of the real criminal “Chopper” Read, and required Bana to pack on a fair amount of extra weight for the role. Now, according to comedian Heath Franklin, who stars in a live show inspired by Chopper titled “Make Deads,” there’s a rumor floating around that Bana may sign on for a follow-up picture.
Moviehole.net reports on the rumor with a great amount of skepticism, and you can’t blame them. Just look at the source - an unrelated comedian talking to The Herald Sun. Even Franklin says he doesn’t know how much weight the rumor holds. Considering another part of the original article is the comedian debunking a rumor due to it being “information filtering through other people,” I wouldn’t put much stock in this news.
The story about a sequel may be mostly unreliable, but it does inspire me to want to check out the original Chopper just to see Bana in such a lauded role. Is this a picture that just missed my radar completely due to the real person not having much popularity in my area, or are there more out there like me who haven’t heard of the move until today?
