Director Kevin Macdonald has had an interesting career thus far. He came out of the documentary world with the acclaimed “One Day In September” and “Touching The Void” under his belt, and then helped Forest Whitaker win an Oscar for “The Last King Of Scotland.” And while his follow up features — “State Of Play” and “The Eagle” — have been somewhat underwhelming, his choices continue to fascinate.
The director is now attached to direct “How I Live Now” based on the book by Meg Rosoff. The intriguing story “follows a 15-year-old girl from New York who is sent to England one summer to stay with cousins she has never met. After initially having difficulty dealing with her relatives, she soon adjusts and falls in love with her cousin, but the affair is affected by the outbreak of a fictionalized war, which separates the whole family.” Sounds like a bit of a genre mash-up — coming of age/romance/war — but an interesting brew nonetheless.
The film will be adapted by Tony Grisoni (“Red Riding Trilogy“) and Jeremy Brock (“The Eagle,” “The Last King of Scotland”) and they are currently at work on it, with the film getting shopped at Cannes next week. No word yet on any casting.
But before that, Macdonald will put the finishing touches on the long-gestating “Marley” documentary which will hit theaters last this year. And he’s also got the YouTube documentary “Life In A Day” slated to land in cinemas on July 24, 2011. Check out the latest trailer below. [Variety]