Mario Van Peebles’ latest film, the sci-fi action-adventure “Solo,” casts the actor as a $2 billion cyborg programmed not only to kill, but also to learn.
Much to the shock of the military, however, Solo (Van Peebles) discovers that life is precious, and he soon goes AWOL in the jungles of Latin America.
Enter Col. Madden (William Sadler), a pit bull of a soldier already angry that the military intends to replace his elite forces with cyborgs. Madden makes it his mission, personal and professional, to capture Solo, who has befriended the denizens of a small, poor village.
“There are shades of `The Magnificent Seven’ (1960), `Shane’ (1953), `Robocop’ (1987) and `Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991) in `Solo,’ ” Van Peebles says by phone from the Manhattan publicity office of TriStar Pictures, which will release “Solo” on Aug. 23.
“I think we borrow and then evolve some elements from those movies,” he says. “We also do new things in `Solo’ that you may not have seen before. I’ve always wanted to do a killer action movie that works on a visceral level and has emotional resonance.
“In this piece, you have this product of the high-tech world learning to be more humane than the people who created him, and he learns about life from people at the lowest level of the low-tech world. That really appealed to me.”
Van Peebles, whom moviegoers will recognize as the star of “Heartbreak Ridge” (1986) and “Highlander — The Final Dimension” (1994) and as the director of “New Jack City” (1991), “Posse” (1993) and “Panther” (1995), performed many of his own stunts in “Solo.”
There are several fight sequences, not to mention one scene in which Solo walks through flames and another that finds him dangling from a helicopter.
Somehow, the actor didn’t get hurt.
“When you play someone impervious to the cold, you’re not cold,” says Van Peebles, who’s in his mid-30s, single and splits his time between Los Angeles and New York.
“I just did another film where I was a human, and I got hurt all the time,” he adds. “If you believe you are what you’re playing, it carries over, I guess.”
Since completing “Solo,” Van Peebles has filmed an episode of “Strangers,” HBO’s sexy anthology series. He also joined forces with his actor-filmmaker father, Melvin Van Peebles, to co-direct, co-produce and co-star in “Gang in Blue,” a Showtime movie about two good cops, one black (Van Peebles) and one white (Josh Brolin) who must deal with a fellow officer (Stephen Lang) gone bad. It will air Sept. 8.
“I hope to keep directing and acting,” Van Peebles says. “I direct films that I’m compelled to make and, like them or not, they have a very specific identity.
“As an actor, I appear in films I want to be in, that offer me a challenge. In `Solo,’ I liked creating a sympathetic hero who has an arc and grows, all in that science-fiction milieu.”
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“So, it’s been pretty exciting going from something like `Panther’ to `Solo,’ and I’d like to keep doing that kind of thing for as long as I can.”
Trek and sci-fi specs
Paramount’s first “Trek” convention, “Star Trek 30: One Weekend on Earth,” will be held Sept.7-8 in Huntsville, Ala. Attendees include William Shatner, Kate Mulgrew, Armin Shimerman, Ethan Phillips and real astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Fred Haise. Contrary to rumor, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and James Doohan are not participating, though Nichols will be at a toy manufacturer’s booth one of the days. For information call 888-2BEAMUP. . . . The Sci-Fi Channel’s “Interplanetary Premiere” for September is “Specimen,” about an alien boy who’s trying to understand more about his late human mother. It debuts Sept. 14. . . . The Tribble episode of “DS9,” titled “Trials and Tribble-ations,” airs the week of Nov. 4. . . . William Gibson’s latest novel, “Idoru” (G.P. Putnam’s Son) arrives at bookstores on Sept. 10.
Con calendar
Places to Trek to Aug. 23-25:
– Creation at Convention Center in Valley Forge, Pa., featuring William Shatner, Tim Russ, Rene Auberjonois and Mira Furlan. (Aug. 24-25 only; call 818-409-0960.)
– X-Files Convention at the Airport Hilton in Burbank, Calif., featuring Mitch Pileggi, Robert Goodwin, William B. Davis and Nick Lea. (Aug. 24-25; 818-409-0960.)
– Cinemaholics Convention at the Quality Inn Convention Center in Salt Lake City, featuring Max Grodenchik and Jonathan Del Arco. (Aug. 24; 801-463-1555.)
TREK/SCI-FI ALERT: If you have Trek or science-fiction news or trivia to share — or if you have questions relating to “Star Trek” — write to Ian Spelling, care of The New York Times Syndicate, 122 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10168. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.