Two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Father”) has signed on to star in Eyes in the Trees, a reimagining of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is co-written by “The Bay” and “Days of Our Lives” actor Mike Manning.
According to Deadline, Hopkins will portray a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for themselves and the entire human race.
First published in 1896 by Wells, several adaptations of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” have since followed, including 1932’s “Island of Los Souls” and the a 1977 film “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” which starred actor Burt Lancaster. More recently, Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer starred in a 1996 film version heavily plagued with behind-the-scenes challenges and budgetary concerns.
The new adaptation was written by Manning and B. Harrison Smith (“Where the Scary Things Are”), with Timothy Woodward Jr. set to direct. Woodward is best known to soap fans for his directing and writing work on “Studio City,” the digital drama series co-created by Sean Kanan (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “General Hospital”). Woodward, who was also an executive producer on the series, has directed several projects over the years including such films as “Til Death Do Us Part,” “The Call” and “The Outsider.”
“This has been a hard one to keep secret,” said Manning in a post on Instagram recently. “I can’t believe I’m able to tell the world that I’m doing a movie w/ one of my favorite actors on the planet. Inspired by iconic IP. This is a pinch me moment for sure.”
In 2021, Manning won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Fiction Program for portraying Caleb McKinnon on “The Bay.” One year earlier, he received his first Emmy as a producer on the series.
Among his numerous acting credits, Manning is probably best known for his role as Charlie Dale on “Days of our Lives,” wherein his character was murdered in yet another whodunit storyline. The actor departed the series in February 2021. Still, he reprised the role on multiple occasions for short periods of time, including when the character was brought back to life by the devil and when he appeared to his mother, who was being carted away for her crimes at the time.