When you’re an accomplished, Oscar-winning filmmaker like Sam Mendes, you better believe the floodgates will open with actors wanting to work with you. The filmmaker, who is probably best known for “American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition,” and his two ‘Bond’ films, is preparing production on his upcoming new film “1917,” and unsurprisingly, he’s put together one hell of a cast and crew.
According to Deadline, Mendes has signed on Mark Strong (“The Imitation Game”), Andrew Scott (“Spectre”), Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”), Daniel Mays (‘Rogue One’), Adrian Scarborough (“Christopher Robin”), Jamie Parker (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”), Nabhaan Rizwan (“Informer”), Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”), and Benedict Cumberbatch (“Doctor Strange”) to star in the World War I film. “1917” follows two young British soldiers (played by actors George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) as they go through one full day of war at the height of WWI.
“1917” is directed by Mendes, based on a script he co-wrote with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. And if the loaded cast and Oscar-winning filmmaker weren’t enough to sway your cinephile heart, then you’ll probably perk up when you hear that Roger Deakins is aboard as the cinematographer. Before this film, the duo of Deakins and Mendes had previously collaborated on the films “Jarhead,” “Revolutionary Road,” and “Skyfall.” Of course, Deakins has also been the DP for recent films like “Blade Runner 2049,” “Sicario,” and “Prisoners,” which were all directed by Denis Villeneuve.
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The report says that production on “1917” is scheduled to begin on April 1. However, there’s no release date for the film yet. That being said, it’s likely that we’re looking for the film to arrive sometime in the second half of 2020. And you better believe, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this film.