Heads up: Cosmopolis

Sex, death, money... Cronenberg takes R-Patz for a spin

What are we talking about? A new film adaptation of Don DeLillo's 2003 novel Cosmopolis, following a young billionaire asset manager as he tries to make his way across Manhattan in a very swish limo, in order to get a haircut.

Elevator pitch Through limo glass, darkly: Cronenberg takes R-Patz for a spin through sex, wealth, and death.

Prime movers It's directed and adapted by David Cronenberg.

The stars Taking the lead is Robert Pattinson, and the rest of the cast is top drawer too: Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton, Paul Giamatti, Jay Baruchel and Kevin Durand all star.

The early buzz Empire, when commenting on a new dark, glitteringly rapid-fire trailer, wrote, "Robert Pattinson is living every wide-eyed Apprentice's dream in the new trailer for Cosmopolis – seemingly, at any rate. Admittedly, there are more of those Cronenbergian strains of sex, death and paranoia than you'd find around Sir Alan's [sic] boardroom table." The Hollywood Reporter says, "it falls upon David Cronenberg's vehicle Cosmopolis, a nihilistic futuristic drama (is there any other kind?) with a lot of drug-fueled sex and craziness to showcase Pattinson's acting chops. The film could be another chance for Rob to be just another pretty (if tortured) face ... [but Pattinson] claims that Cosmopolis has given him 'balls'." Jolly good.

Insider knowledge R-Patz is quite the Cronenberg fan – and openly grateful to the director for giving him a chance in a "serious" flick. So much so, he conducted a 13-hour fashion shoot for French magazine Premiere in order to pay homage to Cronenberg's work (including hanging out on a sofa with a stomach wound and staging a threesome with himself and a pregnant lady).

It's great that ... Judging by the trailers, it's going to be a high-octane return to form for Cronenberg – and who knows what interesting impact it could have on the cine tastes of young, impressionable Twi-hards...

It's a shame that ... The most recent trailer proclaims: "Finally the first film about our new millennium" – which seems a little hubristic, to be honest, not to mention uncharitable towards the past 12 years of film.

Hit potential Cosmopolis is at Cannes, where ordinarily its reception might have a big impact – but it's got R-Patz in it. It'll do just fine, even if every critic hates it.

The details Cosmopolis is released on 15 June.