Would you watch a full-length VR movie? Hugo Weaving's making one
Can the Matrix and Lord of the Rings star keep you in a helmet for a whole film?
Hugo Weaving is about to appear in what could be the first feature-length virtual reality movie.
Australian drama Lone Wolf tells the story of a terrorist cell, based on the Joseph Conrad novel The Secret Agent. Weaving -- who incidentally is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, having starred in The Matrix and Lord of the Rings movies -- will play a government minister.
Lone Wolf is set to be released in 2019. Director Jonathan Ogilvie intends to make both a traditional 2D version of the story and a VR version. According to Variety, you'll be able to see the VR version of the film on smartphone headsets and potentially at pop-up VR events at theaters.
The question is whether people actually want to spend an hour and a half in virtual reality. Some people complain of nausea after a few seconds, and even those who like VR might not want to wear a helmet for that length of time. Above all, the story needs to be riveting enough to keep our attention. But it's certainly an interesting experiment as VR tries different things, from sports broadcasts to gaming with friends to crazy experiences.
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