“You know, when you’re young, you have moments of such happiness. You think you’re living in someplace magical, like Atlantis must have been. Then we grow up, and our hearts break in two.” –Sir Anthony Hopkins as Ted Brautigan
The Losers are still in Harwich, Connecticut, only now they’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scott Hicks’ Hearts in Atlantis. Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins amidst his Hannibal renaissance, the late Anton Yelchin in his feature debut, and the ever-magnificent Hope Davis, this 2001 drama remains one of the more underrated entries in the Stephen King film canon.
To commemorate the film, Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, Rachel Reeves, and Dan Pfleegor crack open some cold root beer and meditate on the curious adaptation. Together, they discuss the inspired casting, the tough translation from page to screen, and whether or not the excision of the Dark Tower connections works for or against the film.
Shortly after, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks joins the Losers to reflect on the film two decades later. The Australian filmmaker walks ’em through the serendipitous pre-production that proves Ka is indeed a wheel, shares a number of heartwarming anecdotes involving both Hopkins and Yelchin, and expands upon the hurdles he and the late and great screenwriter William Goldman encountered in bringing this story to life.
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers celebrate the best of Stephen King in 2021. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive content in The Barrens (Patreon) — from deep dives into uncollected King works to Dark Tower detours to feature-length King commentaries.