Christopher Nolan’s DUNKIRK To Star Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, And Mark Rylance
It seems like only yesterday we were wondering if Chris Nolan’s film shooting in Dunkirk next summer would be about the Dunkirk Evacuation. To absolutely no one’s surprise, it turns out that’s the case. Not only that, Bridge of Spies’ Mark Rylance and Hamlet’s Kenneth Branagh are in talks to hop aboard, alongside Nolan’s Inception and The Dark Knight Rises collaborator Tom Hardy.
Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas will be producing again, likely giving him a bit of leeway with his original script for the project (not that he doesn’t enjoy a certain amount of creative freedom to begin with), and while the film will feature the aforementioned veteran thespians, the leads are supposedly yet to be picked from a pool of unknown teenagers. Nolan’s films tend to focus on world-weary, middle aged guys, so this is definitely something a little different, and reduces the likelihood of yet another entry into the Dead Wives Club.
The film lands right in the middle of blockbuster territory, and the use of IMAX cameras (we finally have official confirmation on those, not that we needed it) along with Nolan’s likely use of a whole lot of extras are going to make this one big spectacle. Yesterday’s comments section also led to an interesting discussion about varying perspectives on World War II. It’s seen as a mythologized, good vs evil story by many Americans, but to my understanding, the British interpretation of it tends to involve Allied responsibility. The film certainly isn’t about American characters, but Nolan’s dual citizenship and childhood split between London and the States puts him in an interesting position with regards to balancing the British context of the events with the need to present them to an American summer audience.
It’s far too early to speculate on that with any certainty, but the question I’m most interested in having answered is just how big a World War II story can get in terms of blockbuster entertainment. I guess we’ll find out when Dunkirk arrives July 21st 2017.
