Berg Thinks Kitsch Has "The Right Stuff"

Given that Disney announced that its action adventure film John Carter will cost the studio some $200 Million in operating losses....Is Universal Pictures feeling uneasy about the fact that its May 18th action tentpole Battleship has Carter's hero Taylor Kitsch squarely in the middle of the mayhem...?

At WonderCon 2012 over the weekend Battleship director Peter Berg told THR that he has faith in his friend and former Friday Night Lights cohort to command any film.

"I think John Carter and Battleship are completely different films, and in John Carter, Taylor played someone from a different era, and in Battleship, he plays someone much more contemporary"

He goes on to say "I’ve known him for a long time, obviously through Tim Riggins and Friday Night Lights, I’ve watched him grow up and I know what he does well, and where he needs some help, and I think any young actor needs help and needs to be brought up, like an athlete, at a correct level.”

While Berg did not offer an opinion about either Kitsch or John Carter, he does think that that the actor's upcoming films may be better-suited to his strengths.

“I think if Taylor finds the right roles and the right directors, like Oliver Stone and the Savages, that’s going to be a really good experience for him, Battleship’s going to be a great experience for him, and I think he’s got the right stuff.”

Berg thinks Kitsch’s appeal is thanks to the actor’s maturity and self-possession. “His head’s on straight, you know? He’s not a kid running around in night clubs, he’s not into drugs; he’s a healthy, smart, witty kid, and he’s not afraid to be self-deprecating. And all of those things I think add up to a kid who is in fact ready for it. Whether it happens or not, who knows? But he’s ready for it."

I agree TK did some great work on FNL and his career will be able to weather John Carter just fine.