This could be huge! You better sit and put down any beverage you might beholding right now.
Seven years after its *premiere*, a new trailer for UATSC has suddenly surfaced. Christine/Mooseturds posted the link over on Twitter. But here it is embedded:
The trailer was posted by a Matthew Mitchell. I dug a little bit to see whether this was an official source, and found out that Mitchell is a producer and the CEO of Circadian Pictures, mentioned in the YT description as production company behind the film. And then I found this:
Just to emphasise this: “Matthew has just finished making his first film, I am Urban, starring Anna Friel, Richard Armitage and Neil Morrissey which is due to be released in 2022.” What???? Ok, let’s forget for a moment the way he has phrased “has just finished making…”, but concentrate on “due to be released in 2022“! That’s huge news – and absolutely welcome news. While I had my issues with the film (or the way the story was presented and the film edited – check my review HERE), I have always felt that this is a story (and a film) worth showing. So even with the delay of seven years, I can only hope that the film will finally make it into the cinemas, as implied in the blurb above.
And now I am wondering – not just on the basis of how Mitchell said “finished making his first film” but also on the look and feel of the new trailer – whether the film has been re-edited? One of my issues with the trailer from 2015 was that it gave the film a slight look of a family film aimed at kids. The music, the chosen scenes, the way they were combined, and the annoyingly “edgy” (NOT!) splatter font used in the trailer gave me the impression that the film was about a funky group of outcast kids and their adventures. Well, quite frankly, the trailer felt all over the place, if I am honest.
The new trailer has now renamed the film into “I am Urban” – and the focus seems to have shifted a bit. Away from the shed crew and over to Urban, his mum and his saviour, Chop. It feels altogether a bit calmer and also more grown-up, hinting to a progression in the relationship and the story of Urban and Chop. It might be a completely different film – and that might be a good thing. I am really curious now and have high hopes that this film will finally see the light of day – or the dimmed lights of a cinema near you.
What are your reactions?
For quick and easy comparison, here is the old, original trailer:
Guylty Pleasure 
It would be amazing if it finally came out at cinemas. I’ve seen a very bad quality copy of it and it definitely is a difficult topic to watch presented in a rather crude way but I LOVED Richard’s performance and the development of his character and his relationship with Urban. The film deserves a good release and I would be elated to see it on the big screen.
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The story deserves to be seen. Especially considering that RL Urban eventually succumbed to the drug addiction a few years ago.
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Really? I didn’t know, what a shame 😦
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Like it appears here in this article, his death has almost been treated like a footnote. So sad! https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/man-many-parts-richard-armitage-14498923
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Wow this would be amazing. Like you I’ve seen a copy of it but the performances are amazing and heartfelt and it’s a horrible subject and it’s difficult to watch but week worth it. On the big screen would be wonderful and a dvd a bonus
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Yes to that, Pamela. The performances were great all around, and the subject difficult but a valuable snapshot of 90s life on the fringes of society. I really hope that it will be released and receive the attention it deserves.
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I also hope that the proceeds go to the Charity it was intended for
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I had forgotten about that! That would be really great!
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Irks a little saying “finished HIS first movie” and renaming it. It’s like he’s swipping away all the hard work, emotional and financial pain that Candida went through to get her baby off the ground. Saying that, I hope beyond hope it gets releasing, without losing the feel of the original trailer gave. Candida and the cast deserve it to be seen.
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Yup, that stood out to me, too. I mean, the material was already there, so his involvement is slightly different than a producer who has been involved from day 1. But ok, what counts is that the film finally gets shown. And if there are some editing changes, I am actually excited to see the differences.
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This is such exciting news – about time! I’m intrigued that the film could be re-edited into a different form.. The line, “Born with a plastic spoon in my mouth” at the beginning of the trailer, is a famous line from The Who’s ‘Substitute’, so it is unoriginal. Maybe Urban really said it, or it’s in the book, but it made me cringe said in the film but highlighting it in the trailer is a mistake. Interesting that Anna Friel gets top billing, although she was brilliant in the role.
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The silver spoon/plastic spoon is a bit of a cliché – and goes without saying, I agree. I think it was used in the original, too. I’d definitely welcome a re-cut – tightening the film and giving it a clear story and genre.
I hadn’t even checked the top billing, but you are right, it’s unusual considering that she is playing a supporting character. I actually found it even more “offensive” that Fraser – who plays the undisputed main part in this piece – is relegated even behind Neil Morrissey…
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What do you mean—Frasier being behind Neil Morrissey? 🤔
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In one of the cast lists he was listed at the end – behind Morrissey.
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Ah, I was just watching the trailer again and didn’t see Morrissey. Thought I’d missed something.
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Yes the anonymous Urban too
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Doh! I meant to write eponymous!
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😂 Oh of course, now it makes sense. I had been wondering what you meant… 😁
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I went back to look at the credits and RA is top billed. They only changed it in the trailer itself—maybe for symmetry? Anna has “BAFTA nominee” above her name and Frasier‘s is preceded by “and introducing” whereas there’s no qualifier for RA. And putting him in the middle centers him visually. (Totally overthinking it? Yes, yes, I am.)
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I think I was looking at the cast list here on this site: https://www.circadianpictures.co.uk/trailers
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Consistency is not their thing, huh?
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Exactly. Quite confusing…
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An Armitage sandwich!
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Yum!
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West End producer? Let’s hope there’s BTS stuff going on — like that he will be casting Armitage soon. (I could speculate about a scenario there.)
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Interesting thought – and a welcome idea. I’d like to see RA on stage again, any time.
When I realised that Mitchell must have come on as a producer at a later stage, the question occurred to me why RA never took on the project for his own production company. well, maybe too close to the bone…
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Yeah. Also he’s never produced anything. He suffers from a certain amount of the same problems Candida Brady did. Hopefully he’s wise enough to realize that going forward and starts slowly.
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Good point. (I wonder why he isn’t starting as a co-producer somewhere first. Wouldn’t that be a good entry in the business?)
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I maybe wrong but wasn’t there a mention of Andy Serkis when all the original stuff came out about his production company?
Perhaps this new guy paid her tax bill and she had to give him the rights to ‘Urban’
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The Andy Serkis mention rings a bell… but I don’t recall any details.
I’d also say that a new production team probably had to put some kind of money into the project in order to get it back on track.
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I think given the fact that they were already embroiled in legal proceedings when he officially announced his production company (and had been for a while), it wasn’t an option and probably a safer route as well. Not sure if this new producer was involved from the start or swooped in later? I never pay attention to such details tbh.
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Good point. Probably would not have been a good first project.
I get the impression that the new producer has come in after the first cut of the film.
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I was just wondering if he might’ve been the one who sued. We know that one of the producers took the others to court over something. It’s all very courtroom drama. ⚖️
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Oh, I had forgotten that. 🤔
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It seems to me any opportunity to share this important cinematic work with a larger audience should be applauded, if only to see more of Richard (how long has it been now?!) on the big screen. Thanks for keeping us informed. Can’t wait to learn more.
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I think both arguments are valid – getting this story to be seen, and showing Richard’s great work as Chop. I hope Mitchell follows up soon with some more info on release dates etc…
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I wonder if they’ve done some re-editing? It will be interesting to see if there are changes. I felt when I watched it that it could have been better overall, even though the performances and story were very good. Exciting, anyway.
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It seems as if there will be. On the credits in the new trailer it lists “additional editing by…”, so that sounds as if they have made changes. Hopefully for the better and for a more coherent film overall. But in any case, it would just be great to see it on general release *at all*…
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For sure!
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Oh,this sounds like good news! There were such great performances all round, it ‘s a shame it never saw the light of day.
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Absolutely! The cast was great, and the story, too. I personally didn’t like all the editing choices they had made, but it was definitely a film worth seeing. Hopefully it will now get the attention it deserves.
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Wow, that would be amazing if it did finally make it out to wider audiences. I agee, it could use some different editing. And “just finished making?” Ha! Maybe it’s supposed to be ‘just finished editing’. If they ever do a press tour with Fraser Kelly, they will see that it couldn’t have ‘just finished making’ it. 😉 I’m glad there is still some buzz to this, fingers crossed it does come out!
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Finished editing would be more to the point.
I was thinking the same re. Fraser. The boy is now a young adult. How bizarre it might be for him to go around promoting this film…
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I haven’t found it anywhere to watch! Any advice? I am in Canada. Not everything made in England is available here.
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It unfortunately was never released on DVD. The news in this post turned out to be a red herring.
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