Here We Go Again

Words: Mark Rosenberg

Surfer dude, Blue Crush, In God’s Hands; Every time Hollywood courts surfing the results are cliché loaded crap. You want the stars to drown. Point Break was bitchin, but only because it was so horrible. Surfing just doesn’t transfer to the big screen. Or does it?

Aussie actor, Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans and Terminator Salvation) has signed on to make Drift – an indie film shot in Margaret River about surfing’s evolution from pastime to global sport. Worthington’s character is a photo-journalist who was instrumental in the transformation. Who the character may be based on is anyone’s guess but there is speculation it’s Phill Jarratt, a writer who brought surfing to the masses.

The man who seemingly wins every major blockbuster role has decided he wants to do something smaller, a little indie film. Why not, that’s what all the cool kids do. Isn’t it?

Drift is slated to begin shooting next March when the biggest waves and Drug Aware Pro hopefully coincide at Margies. “I’m a WA boy at heart and to go back there and put something back into my home town is something I am really looking forward to,” Worthington said.  

A smaller budget and an Aussie actor who actually can surf indicate that this might be the first movie that actually gets it right. Then again Worthing did mention that surfing and this script are both “pure and true.” Sounds like we could be in for a b-grade, occa Point Break.

Coincidently Simon Baker (the Aussie heartthrob star of the Mentalist) has recently acquired the rights to Tim Winton’s Breath; a script ripe for a cinematic cheese injection. Seems the big screen won’t leave surfing alone.

They’ve got to get right... Eventually.

R.I.P Bodhi