Archangel Michael, the defender of mankind, goes up against Archangel Gabriel, God’s messenger, in the ultimate battle for salvation in Columbia Pictures’ supernatural action-thriller “Legion.”
When God loses faith in mankind, He sends a legion of angels led by Gabriel (“Wolverine’s” Kevin Durand) to bring on the apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (“The Da Vinci Code’s” Paul Bettany)
In “Legion,” the climactic confrontation between the two archangels could be called sibling rivalry taken to a cosmic extreme. “Paul and I played it like we were brothers who were always vying for the attention and love of their father,” says Kevin Durand. “Michael was the one who got most of the love, without having to abide by the rules. Gabriel always went by the book and never got the attention he thought he deserved. This battle comes down to eons of competition.” ( read more below)
The filmmakers saw the apocalyptic setting of “Legion” as an opportunity to explore larger themes within a highly entertaining action-horror film. While the film is not religious in nature, it does use elements of familiar narratives to tell its tale. “Whether you grew up in a religious home or not, we live in a society that has religion at its core,” writer-director Scott Stewart points out. “The movie isn’t attempting to say anything about particular beliefs. It is about the idea of faith, using things that are familiar to us from Judeo-Christian ideology as a way to tell the story. No matter what your bent is philosophically, you can bring that to this movie.”
If it seems provocative, that’s what Stewart intends. “The film pushes buttons and it’s meant to push buttons,” he says. “I hope it’s somewhat controversial. In the end, it’s meant to be entertaining, but I hope it’s thought provoking as well. That’s what takes it out of the realm of the standard thriller.”
The catalyst for the action of the film is Michael, a larger-than-life figure who seems to appear out of nowhere. “Michael has such conviction that the other characters follow him without question,” says Stewart. “I didn’t want him to be an enigma. He is the Archangel Michael, but you can’t play that abstraction.”
Michael’s nemesis in the film is also his brother, Gabriel, an archangel traditionally portrayed as God’s messenger and as the most faithful of His creations. A one-time ballet dancer who stands six feet, six inches tall, actor Kevin Durand brings both brawn and grace to the character. “Kevin is so compelling,” says producer David Lancaster. “He moves beautifully but also has this incredibly menacing feeling about him.”
The filmmakers were impressed by Durand’s recent performances in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and as the cold-blooded mercenary Martin Keamy on the hit television series “Lost.” “We wanted somebody who could hold his own with Paul Bettany, who’s an imposing actor,” says Stewart. “Kevin has this awesome physical presence, and he backs it up with serious acting chops. He’s really a character actor inside the body of a major action star.”
“Legion” appealed to Durand on a primal level, he says. “Gabriel is being sent to do God’s work, but in a way I don’t think we’ve ever seen before—by any means necessary.”
Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Jan. 22, “Legion” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.
