Podtalk: Director Tom Harper Flies High with ‘The Aeronauts’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 6, 2019 - 12:12pm

CHICAGO – When we last saw Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones together, they were portraying husband and wife in the Stephen Hawking bio “The Theory of Everything.” Now they are 19th Century high-flying hot air balloonists in “The Aeronauts,” opening December 6th, 2019, and directed by Tom Harper.

Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne are Flying High in ‘The Aeronauts’
Photo credit: Amazon Studios

In 1862 Britain, hot air balloon mania is in the air. Amelia Rennes (Felicity Jones) is a carnival barker style “Aeronaut,” who likes to draw crowds to her ballooning spectacles. Enter James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne), a weather scientist who needs to fly with her to determine theoretical climate patterns. This mismatched pair will make history, soaring higher into the atmosphere than any other previous flyers. Based on a true story and adapted by Jack Throne, director Tom Harper takes his characters on a rousing adventure, thrilling and beautifully rendered. After a short theatrical run, the film will be available on Amazon Prime beginning on December 20th, 2019.

London-born Tom Harper is a BAFTA nominated British film and television director, writer and producer. Harper began his career making short films, and then moved on to direct a range of film and television work which includes his debut “The Scouting Book for Boys” (2009), the BBC TV mini-series War & Peace (2016) and “Wild Rose” (2018). Harper sat down for a Podtalk with HollywoodChicago.com, joined in part by Ian Simmons, a podcaster for Kicking the Seat (click here for an episode featuring Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com).

Director Tom Harper in Chicago for ‘The Aeronauts’
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Tom Harper talks about the detached irony of family films with co-interviewer Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat, and continues on to observe the nuts and bolts of a period balloon picture as well as the protocol for meeting Queen Elizabeth.

”The Aeronauts” opens everywhere on December 6th. Featuring Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Tom Courtenay, Phoebe Fox and Anne Reid. Adaptation written by Jack Thorne. Directed by Tom Harper. Rated “PG-13”