The teaser for Robert Zemeckis’s forthcoming IMAX 3D film about Philippe Petit’s 1974 walk between the World Trade Center towers had to be one of the most breathtaking in recent memory. From the first moment, it’s clear that The Walk goes to great pains to recreate the twin towers. (For all of us who wanted to see the towers built back exactly as they were, this bit of computer-generated trickery is the closest we’re going to get.)
Whether Joseph Gordon Levitt went to equally great pains to nail Petit’s French accent is a matter of debate, but it’s safe to say he got the swagger down. You can see for yourself when The Walk opens the New York Film Festival on September 25 at Alice Tully Hall (tickets go on sale to the general public September 13), or you can wait a few days and see it in select IMAX theaters starting September 30.
But before all that, you should watch (or re-watch) Man on Wire, the fantastic documentary about Petit’s rogue high-wire feat. Rooftop Film Club just announced, via its partner Timeout, that it’ll be among the films shown on the rooftop of the midtown Yotel in September (others include the recently released Amy Winehouse doc, Amy, as well as E.T., in case you missed the outdoor screening in Williamsburg last week). Unlike other outdoor movie fests where you have to remember to bring your own seats and blankets, they’ll be provided for you at the September 28 screening along with headphones — plus if you pony up an extra $10 for the $25 tickets, they’ll hook you up with some food and drink.
By the way, if you’re a fan of crazy mofos tightrope-walking between iconic towers, peep this harrowing clip of Nik Wallenda doing just that (blindfolded!) atop Chicago’s Marina City, aka the corncob towers from the cover of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
Correction: The original version of this post was revised to correct the first name of Joseph Gordon Levitt.