When foreign filmmakers make the leap to directing English language movies, the transition isn’t always easy, as much can be lost in translation. One can only imagine how much trickier that can be with a director like Yorgos Lanthimos, whose distinctly oddball stories carry with them a flavor all their own. But he knocked it out of the park with his artfully weird love story “The Lobster,” and one of the key components to the success of the film was the lead performance by Colin Farrell. He perfectly found the dry yet emotional tone the role and movie required, and the good news is the director and actor are getting back together.
Farrell will star in Lanthimos’ terrifically titled, “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer.” The psychological thriller/revenge tale, inspired by Euripedes, follows a surgeon whose ideal life starts to fall apart when he encounters a teenage boy whose intentions soon turn sinister, leaving the doctor fighting for the survival of his family. And while that sounds pretty standard, in Lanthimos’ hands it’s probably a lot more awesome and weird.
No word yet where on Lanthimos’ increasingly busy slate this will fall, but A24 has also snapped up the U.S. rights. Don’t forget, he’s also set to direct the period drama “The Favorite” with Emma Stone, Kate Winslet, and Olivia Colman slated to star. Either way, he’s got promising projects on the horizon, and frankly, we’ll eagerly watch whatever the director delivers next. [Variety/Screen Daily]