Sam Mendes will co-write and direct 1917, which has now started filming.
Sam Mendes has been returning to his theatre roots since his last feature film, the James Bond 007 outing, Spectre (which in turn followed up his previous movie, Skyfall). Now though he’s finally returning to cinema, with a new first World War drama by the name of 1917.
The film was revealed last year, and the project marks the first time that Mendes gets a writing credit on one of his features too. He co-penned the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.
Furthermore, the official start of production has now been announced, as well as the cast and a short synopsis.
Here’s the relevant extract from the official announcement:
“The film follows two young British soldiers (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay; Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) on a single day at the height of World War I.
Joining MacKay and Chapman are Mark Strong (The Imitation Game, Zero Dark Thirty), Andrew Scott (Spectre, Sherlock), Richard Madden (BBC’s Bodyguard, Cinderella), Daniel Mays (Fisherman’s Friends, Rogue One), Adrian Scarborough (The Madness of King George, Christopher Robin), Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Nabhaan Rizwan (Informer), Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, the Bridget Jones franchise) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Doctor Strange).”
A release date of 10th January 2020 has been announced for the UK, with Entertainment One distributing.
Please support our print film magazine. Subscribe to Film Stories and get back issues here.