Michael Keaton stars in ‘Knox Goes Away’Michael Keatonpulled double duty on his new thrillerKnox Goes Away.TheBatmanandBeetlejuiceicon, 72, directed the film while also starring as the titular character, John Knox, a principled hit man who lives in what Keaton calls a moral “gray area” — i.e., he kills people, but only bad guys.PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer, which shows Knox’s doctor diagnosing him with a rapidly-advancing form of dementia. “How much time do I have?” John asks the doctor, who replies, “Weeks, not months.“John takes the news in stride, with a bit of gallows humor too: “Even if I hated you for telling me,” he replies. “I’d forget soon enough.“Michael Keaton’s ‘Knox Goes Away’.Saban FilmsHis remaining time alive is stressful: He botches a hit job and also assists his estranged son Miles (James Marsden), who’s in enormous trouble. The younger Knox, bloodied and rattled, shows up at his dad’s door after he stabbed a “bad man” who took advantage of Miles’s teenage daughter.John, in attempt to make amends, agrees to come to Miles’s rescue. It’s not long, though, before dogged detectives begin to close in.Though Keaton plays a contract killer, he doesn’t considerKnox Goes Awaya “hit-man movie,” he tells PEOPLE.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Michael Keaton in ‘Knox Goes Away’.Danielle Mathias, Saban Films"There’s been about 9,000 hit-men movies made, and everybody’s done it as good as you can do it,” Keaton says. “I had zero interest in making a hit-man movie. It isn’t and never was.““I’m in the adult movie business,” Keaton jokes, meaning the movie tells the story of the complicated relationship between a son and a father — one who’s facing his own mortality.Keaton made his feature-length directorial debut in 2008 withThe Merry Gentleman,andKnox Goes Awaymarks the first time since that he’s back behind the camera.What took so long? “I’ve had offers and opportunities, but mostly the problem was what an undertaking it is. When would I find the time to do it?” he says.Michael Keaton.Christopher Polk/Getty"It has to be something you really want to make, a good solidly written script,” he says, before quipping, “If there’s a really great one, there’s the likelihoodChristopher NolanorSteven Spielbergare gonna beat you to it.“But he said yes toKnox Goes Awayyears ago, then kept putting it off. “I was somewhat frightened to do it,” he admits. “I thought, ‘I got to get this right.’ “He did — and under tight time constraints too: Keaton had only 25 days to shoot the film. “Every day was pressure,” he recalls. Turns out, he’s grace under fire. Keaton notes he wrapped filming in 24-and-a-half days.Knox Goes Away,which costarsAl Pacino,Marcia Gay Hardenand Suzy Nakamura, is in theaters March 15.
Michael Keaton stars in ‘Knox Goes Away’
Michael Keatonpulled double duty on his new thrillerKnox Goes Away.
TheBatmanandBeetlejuiceicon, 72, directed the film while also starring as the titular character, John Knox, a principled hit man who lives in what Keaton calls a moral “gray area” — i.e., he kills people, but only bad guys.
PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer, which shows Knox’s doctor diagnosing him with a rapidly-advancing form of dementia. “How much time do I have?” John asks the doctor, who replies, “Weeks, not months.”
John takes the news in stride, with a bit of gallows humor too: “Even if I hated you for telling me,” he replies. “I’d forget soon enough.”
Michael Keaton’s ‘Knox Goes Away’.Saban Films
Saban Films
His remaining time alive is stressful: He botches a hit job and also assists his estranged son Miles (James Marsden), who’s in enormous trouble. The younger Knox, bloodied and rattled, shows up at his dad’s door after he stabbed a “bad man” who took advantage of Miles’s teenage daughter.
John, in attempt to make amends, agrees to come to Miles’s rescue. It’s not long, though, before dogged detectives begin to close in.
Though Keaton plays a contract killer, he doesn’t considerKnox Goes Awaya “hit-man movie,” he tells PEOPLE.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Michael Keaton in ‘Knox Goes Away’.Danielle Mathias, Saban Films
Danielle Mathias, Saban Films
“There’s been about 9,000 hit-men movies made, and everybody’s done it as good as you can do it,” Keaton says. “I had zero interest in making a hit-man movie. It isn’t and never was.”
“I’m in the adult movie business,” Keaton jokes, meaning the movie tells the story of the complicated relationship between a son and a father — one who’s facing his own mortality.
Keaton made his feature-length directorial debut in 2008 withThe Merry Gentleman,andKnox Goes Awaymarks the first time since that he’s back behind the camera.
What took so long? “I’ve had offers and opportunities, but mostly the problem was what an undertaking it is. When would I find the time to do it?” he says.
Michael Keaton.Christopher Polk/Getty
“It has to be something you really want to make, a good solidly written script,” he says, before quipping, “If there’s a really great one, there’s the likelihoodChristopher NolanorSteven Spielbergare gonna beat you to it.”
But he said yes toKnox Goes Awayyears ago, then kept putting it off. “I was somewhat frightened to do it,” he admits. “I thought, ‘I got to get this right.’ "
He did — and under tight time constraints too: Keaton had only 25 days to shoot the film. “Every day was pressure,” he recalls. Turns out, he’s grace under fire. Keaton notes he wrapped filming in 24-and-a-half days.
Knox Goes Away,which costarsAl Pacino,Marcia Gay Hardenand Suzy Nakamura, is in theaters March 15.
source: people.com
