BBC Films has announced their upcoming slate at the Cannes Film Festival, and it includes The Golden Lady, a new movie for My Week with Marilyn director Simon Curtis (left), as well as a number of other projects, some already in production and some on the way, including new movies for Saoirse Ronan, Jude Law and Tom Hanks, as well as a new movie starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge.
Simon Curtis’ drama The Golden Lady, written by playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell, takes place in the art world, telling the true story of Maria Altmann, who fought to reclaim paintings by Gustav Klimt that were stolen from her family by the Nazis during World War II.
They also announced that Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) will star in Juliette Towhidi’s Testament of Youth, adapting Vera Brittain’s World War I memoir, which will be produced by “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman’s Heyday Films.
Other projects in various stages of development includes Richard (The Matador) Sheppard’s Don Hemingway, a dark comedy starring Jude Law as a safecracker released from prison after 12 years. It also stars Richard E. Grant and is produced by Jeremy Thomas.
The Tom Hanks drama Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of the conflict between Walt Disney, played by Hanks, and author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) in the former’s attempt to get the rights to Mary Poppins, written by Kelly Marcel and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) and produced by Ruby Films.
They also confirmed that Declan Lowney will start shooting the long-awaited Alan Partridge Movie, reuniting Steve Coogan and “Veep” creator/producer Armando Iannucci on their popular British television character, in the fall.
Other projects include the Ralph Fiennes-directed The Invisible Woman, written by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) and starring Felicity Jones as Charles Dickens’ mistress Nelly Ternan. Fiennes will co-star along with Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Hollander.
Sally Potter’s upcoming untitled film set in 1962 London, exploring the Cold War and sexual revolution, is also on their slate, as is the psychological thriller Blood, starring Paul Bettany and Stephen (“Boardwalk Empire”) Graham and directed by Nick Murphy, which just finished filming. (It’s likely we might see one or both of these last two premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.)
Belfast punk rock legend Terri Hooley, responsible for starting a pivotal Irish indie label, is featured in Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s Good Vibrations, while Manchester band The Stone Roses play a part in Spike Island about a group of boys who form a band and go see the influential band play a 1990 gig.
BBC Films already have a number of films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival including Rufus Norris’ Broken, Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut Quartet–already picked up by the Weinstein Company–Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer and Ol Parker’s Now is Good.
