Motion picture director and Wooster graduate Duncan Jones ’95 has a lot on his plate right now. Coming off the hit of his sci-fi thriller “Moon,” Jones now has another milestone to celebrate: his American film debut.
His new movie “Source Code” hits theaters on April 15 next year and is already creating a buzz in the motion picture industry. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and is predicted to be one of this springs box office hits.
The movie is said to be a cross between “Inception” and “Groundhog Day,” according to “The Independent.” Consistent with Jones’s alternative approach to filmmaking, the story centers on a soldier trapped in an eight-minute time loop on a mission to find out the identity of a terrorist bomber. Captain Colter Stever (Gyllenhaal) opens the footage in the body of a train commuter, who witnesses the explosion. Part of a government experiment, he relives the experience over and over again to gather clues about the bomber and prevent the next attack. The plot reveals that the actual source code is a computer program created by the government to create the future ó that is, until Stever interferes to change what is to come. In addition to Gyllenhaal, this star studded film also boasts Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright.
Besides being an accomplished graduate of the College, Jones comes from a family of entertainers. His father, David Bowie, is a world-renouned singer and performer who has undoubtedly influenced Jones’s career in film. Jones was born in London, but came to Wooster in 1992 after having moved to many different countries around the world. He graduated in 1995 with a degree in Philosophy from the College, where he said has influenced his film-making career. “I majored in philosophy both at Wooster and later, in graduate school at Vanderbilt, and there are some interesting ideas in “Moon” that come out of lectures and studies I did with Professor Ron Hustwit and Professor Hank Kreuzman,” Jones said, according to a press release from the College. Before attending the London Film School, Jones also spent time at Vanderbilt University.
His first major film, “Moon,” was a major breakthrough feature for the director. A sci-fi flick, the film starred actor Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who experiences a personal crisis after three years of solitary confinement in space. Kevin Spacey is the voice of his only companion, a robot named GERTY. This film was the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) winner of the 2009 award for the Best British Independent Film. Jones was also awarded the BIFA Douglas Hickox Award.
The College is incredibly proud to have such a prestigious and noteworthy person as a graduate. His success is a great indication as to what a Wooster graduate can do with their education in the future. With “Moon” being so successful, critics and fans are anxiously awaiting Jones’s first American release. Until April 15, the buzz is certainly likely to continue.