Several days ago we reported that actor Dan Radcliffe was possibly in line to portray the late photojournalist Dan Eldon in a new movie. Today, the Guardian has more on this, featuring an interview with Kathy Eldon, the mother of the photographer, who says Dan will be portraying her son in this new movie. Quotage:
The film, Journey, will see Radcliffe play Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old who was among four journalists stoned to death by a mob in Mogadishu in July 1993. The timing is right and the person is right and I couldn't ask for more,' said Kathy, a journalist, producer and activist. 'He has portrayed a magician for years and my Dan was a different kind of magician. There are parallels in the two Dans' lives. Daniel Radcliffe is a poet, he keeps journals and he's half Jewish. He has a puckishness, sense of humour and energy inside him which remind me of Dan...'Daniel Radcliffe is the first time we've found a young enough actor with a global following. We love the way he's a global soul. He's travelled the world and feels comfortable in the world and hasn't been corrupted by Hollywood.'
While this sounds very exciting, we are trying to obtain official confirmation from Dan's reps, and will update with more on that when we can. Also, if this proves certain, we do not know when this film will be made, as Dan is currently filming "Half-Blood Prince," that continues until early spring of 2008, and is also set to return to the stage when "Equus" opens on Broadway in the fall of 2008. The story of "Journey" focuses on 22 year old Dan Eldon, a photographer who was brutally murdered in Somalia in 1993, when he and his colleagues Hansi Krauss, Anthony Macharia of Reuters and Hos Maina of the Associated Press were surrounded then stoned and beaten to death after an angry mobbed turned on the journalists in the aftermath of a bombing in Mogadishu. You can read more about Dan Eldon and see some of his remarkable photographs via this link, as well as learn more about journalists who are killed each year while bringing the news, here. Thanks Helena!
‘Another tragic death of a young man???!!! Is Dan trying to follow Alan Rickman in his early movie reputation as a dying man? Is this the ultimate thrill for a young actor; to die on stage? What is going on in the head of that boy? I don’t know how much influence he has on the enscenering, but I think that when he has his way the scene of “the forest again” will be much more spectaculair then the rather prosaic line in the book.’
kamion, he was done many projects in the last two years and this is only his second death scene. It is not like he has a death scene in every movie he does. What is going in your own head??? It was the same when people knew Jack also wore glasses (‘he only can portray character with glasses’) or he played Maps who also was an orphan (‘he only can play orphans’). It is always the same story. Bashers need to find something to critizise. I am happy Dan give bashers such a hard time with his many projects and excellent reviews. The more they bash, shout and insult, the more we know he has won another battle. Bashing is the only thing haters can do. Nothing is going to change the fact that he is a talented young actor with a brilliant future in front of him.
kamion, he has just done one movie were he dies, it’s not like he has done ten or more… so I don’t understand the “another???” lol
Why is it the death the only thing some people can see? Why don’t peple open their eyes and see the LIFE? that’s the most importnat thing.
a death scene is what? 4 minutes, the movie can be more than 2 hours longer you now.
Reading the beautiful words of Kathy, his mother, I think this is going to be more about his life, not his death.
If this movie would be like that her mother would find lots of producers, the fact she is searching with care the producers means what she whats is not the typical hero movie.
Seems to me some are just trying to hard to find something bad to say, but I think this proyect is so fascinating, all bad you say will be senseless.:)
About your last comment, it’s not funny, and many Jews can be feel offended for what you just wrote.
It just shows how bad informed you are and you if you would have actually saw Equus before talking about it you would know that’s impossible to tell.
Why are you so negative? are you jealous Dan will be part of this great proyect and some other actors not?
Posted by jealous is not a good thing on December 30, 2007, 07:43 PM
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Yeah Amina I’m sure Leaky people share your theory about the USA government wanting to produce this movie. lol
All you wrote is off topic, it has nothing to do with your point of view, which I actually agree with about some things. It’s this is not a comment board about politics, it’s about HP, his actors, his proyects.
What you have written is not related with Dan Eldon’s life at all. You don’t notice it because you have not even taken one minute to learn who this young man was.
You say things about a movie you have not seen, it’s as simply as that.
You don’t want to express your pint of view, you just don’t want people to express their hapiness for these news.
But, so this is a pure space of fantasy, but Somalia can be brought ias a dead symbolic space to be invested and projected with fantasies, but it Must never speaks its history? Do you think this arrogant attempt to silence, deny and exclude will add any credibility to the real story of Daniel’s life and death in Somalia?
What a strange, strange thread this has become!
Since this is a HARRY POTTER FAN
I’m going to stop myself from including an explanation on elementary genetics regarding maternal “bad” negative (-) Rh blood factors “attacking” positive (+) Rh factors in her offspring…
I am not a medical doctor ; but I do know that his mother lost 4 boys before Ahmed and that the doctor’s reason was it had to do with Rh- factor in her blood.
Why this so big hatred towards Daniel? Why this envy? Why these insults for Daniel? Why this war against Daniel? For my, the more hate him, envy him, insult him, shoot him up to killing, Daniel will be always a winner and will triumph in all the challenges and battles, and the more I will love him.
The death is a patrimony of the humanity and there are many persons, babies, young men/women and adults who die everywhere of the world. Example of it, my brother and several friends.
And Amina, do you think that writting your opinion over and over in a HP comment board about a new movie will change something?
No, but this movie can, it has already done. Many young people who were just kids at the beginning of the 90’s, they didn’t know about what happened in Somalia, maybe a lot of them don’t even know what it is happening there now.
Now thanks to this news we all know a little more, they know about those boms who killed hundreds of people.
You are contradicting yourself first saying this story is not worth telling and now defending it’s credibility.
I just think what you defend can be helped with this movie, I have explained my reasons, you have just talked about other movies.
All I say is wait, see it, and then comment all you want about it, but you can not write an opinion about a movie you have not seen, do you think is it crazy of me to think like this?
I’m happy to hear about Somalia, that’s why I gave you my mail, I don’t want to silence you, I actually agree with many things you say. But this is not the place, this is a HP fan site, and you haven taken this discussion at least 5 degrees from these news.
2007, I don’t know, I think it’s just jealously, but I don’t understand it, all he does is work hard to bring to life our loved Harry.
But next time someone writes Dan owes something to HP fans… I’ll copy some of these comments to them.
But I really think there are more fans than bashers, it just happens that bashers tend to be more noisy. xD
Yes, Rh factor is a genetic trait passed along, exactly like blue or brown eyes. Though () is incompatible with the (+) factors (baby and mother’s blood do apparently mingle briefly at time of birth), treatment is very simply an injection of Rhogam to the mother at time of birth. Using traditional western preventative medicine, not a single child’s life needs to be lost these days to this incredibly common genetic occurrance. I’m Rh() and have had the shot twice at the births of my children. ... I’m SO sorry to have allowed myself to respond so off-topic, but could this be the only place that some women who are Rh(-) might see they need to make sure their doctor knows of this when they become pregnant?
Good god, this fight over Dan as Dan is going nuts! Can’t we all just get along and talk about how great this is, Dan getting into another non-HP movie!
Amina, please listen to me for just a moment. I DO see where you’re coming from and that you want to get what you’re saying out there for people to see! But this really isn’t the place! I know you want to say these things, but right here, right now, they’re not appropriate. Please save it.
‘Another tragic death of a young man???!!! Is Dan trying to follow Alan Rickman in his early movie reputation as a dying man? Is this the ultimate thrill for a young actor; to die on stage? What is going on in the head of that boy? I don’t know how much influence he has on the enscenering, but I think that when he has his way the scene of “the forest again” will be much more spectaculair then the rather prosaic line in the book.’
kamion, he was done many projects in the last two years and this is only his second death scene. It is not like he has a death scene in every movie he does. What is going in your own head??? It was the same when people knew Jack also wore glasses (‘he only can portray character with glasses’) or he played Maps who also was an orphan (‘he only can play orphans’). It is always the same story. Bashers need to find something to critizise. I am happy Dan give bashers such a hard time with his many projects and excellent reviews. The more they bash, shout and insult, the more we know he has won another battle. Bashing is the only thing haters can do. Nothing is going to change the fact that he is a talented young actor with a brilliant future in front of him.