Renowned filmmaker Luc Besson recently took the stage in Venice alongside the stars of his latest feature film, “Dogman,” Caleb Landry Jones and Jojo T. Gibbs. As the world premiere of the film drew near, Besson’s fans eagerly awaited to see if this would mark a return to form for the director of hits like “Lucy” and “The Fifth Element.”
In “Dogman,” Caleb Landry Jones plays the titular character, a man who endured severe abuse as a child but survived due to his special connection with canines. When he becomes involved in a violent incident and is taken into custody by the police, Jones’ character undergoes a psychiatric evaluation with prison psychiatrist Evelyn, portrayed by Jojo T. Gibbs, who listens to his life story. Although the film is set in New Jersey, it was primarily shot in a studio in France. Combining elements of melodrama and action, “Dogman” made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the competition category.
Besson revealed that his “first fear” in casting the movie was finding an actor bold enough to take on the role. However, upon seeing a small photo of Caleb Landry Jones on IMDb, he realized he had seen him numerous times in different films and admired his versatility. Besson mentioned how they had tea together and eventually asked Jones, “You like animals?”
While the critical assessment of the film is yet to be determined, one aspect of Besson’s work that stood out was his coordination of numerous canine co-stars. Casting the dogs proved to be a lengthy process as it took three to four months to gather 65-70 dogs for the production. Among them were three American dog stars who arrived with their own trainers and even had their own trailers. The rest of the dogs formed a group, with Besson noting that some training was necessary, but at times, they simply had to follow their instincts. The director also shared that the star dogs did not interact with the others, further complicating the logistics of filming, particularly with one French Doberman who had only one day of shooting and never appeared alongside the other dogs.
Having so many animals on set posed unique challenges for the production team. With 25 trainers, each responsible for two dogs, the set became quite chaotic when action was called. Besson humorously mentioned that there were 25 people screaming at the same time, while Caleb Landry Jones calmly read lines from Shakespeare.
Jones fondly recalled his favorite moment during the shoot – turning around and seeing 30 dogs staring at him. In an unexpected twist, Jones answered questions about the film in a Scottish accent, revealing that it was part of his preparation for an upcoming role in another movie.
The world premiere of “Dogman” at the Venice Film Festival marks an exciting moment for Luc Besson and his fans, who are eagerly waiting to see if this film will captivate audiences and stand as a testament to Besson’s unique storytelling and directorial skills. As reviews begin to pour in, audiences around the world can look forward to experiencing the powerful performances of Caleb Landry Jones and Jojo T. Gibbs, as well as the mesmerizing presence of the talented canine co-stars that contributed to the magic of “Dogman.”