Craveonline chatted to James about his latest movie the immigrant, but he also spoke about The Lost City of Z, i have only posted TLCOZ mentions, link to whole interview at bottom of post.


Speaking of moving on: The Lost City of Z (a period adventure film, concerning British surveyors looking for a city in the jungles of Brazil; Z was set up to be made with Brad Pitt back in 2004) appears to be ready to film (with Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Pattinson). Do you have a start date?

We’ll begin filming in January. I’m going to start prepping in September. It’s a very elaborate film and requires extensive prep. We’re going to shoot in two different countries. It’s going to be a very challenging, but hopefully rewarding shoot.

You’ve been close to making Z a few times, what type of film can we expect? Has it changed in scope over the past decade?

I want to ask the same question with each film, which is: what does it mean to be a human being? The Lost City of Z is almost set on two different planets – the jungle and Victorian England. What does it mean to be a civilized person? This to me is a profound question. What is progress? Is progress just economic growth? Or is it understanding what’s around us? Is it growth of emotional intelligence or GDP growth? How do we contemplate new and old ideas of humanity? That to me is what Z is about.



Source: http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/689081-the-immigrant-james-gray-on-being-beloved-by-the-french & @cumberbatchweb