Sam Mendes is working on his first feature since 2015’s Spectre, and it looks like the acclaimed director has used his industry clout to hire a whole host of some of the biggest British actors around. The film is 1917, which will center on a single day in the First World War.
George MacKay (Captain Fantastic) and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones) will star as two young British soldiers serving in the conflict, but the supporting cast will feature the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Richard Madden and Mark Strong. Sherlock fans will be happy to hear that Andrew Scott is also on board, meaning TV’s Holmes and Moriarty will reunite for the movie. Likewise, Kingsman lovers will be pleased with Galahad (Firth) and Merlin (Strong) teaming up again.
Shooting will start on 1917 in just a few days on April 1st, with filming taking place on location in England and Scotland. The rest of the cast will be filled out by Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker, Nabhaan Rizwan and Claire Duburcq. Dreamworks is producing the movie with Universal on hand to distribute.
Given its subject matter and the big name cast, no doubt Mendes – who co-wrote the script along with Krysty Wilson-Cairns – will be banking on 1917 piquing the interest of the Academy Awards next year. The director is no stranger to awards attention, either having won the Oscar for Best Director for his debut movie American Beauty back in 1999 and 2013’s Skyfall earning the BAFTA for Best British Film.
Given his reputation, it’s a shame his last effort was a bit of a disappointment, with Bond fans generally not ranking Spectre very highly and critics comparing it unfavorably with Skyfall. Hopefully, then, Sam Mendes will bounce back to his best with 1917, which is said to be getting a limited release this Christmas Day before going wide on January 10th, 2020.