Another beloved science fiction book is getting its time on the silver screen, with a talented filmmaker sitting in the director’s chair: the critically acclaimedAlma Har’elwill take on authorWalter Tevis’ 1980 novel,Mockingbird. TheHoney Boydirector will work alongside Searchlight Pictures to bring Tevis’ Nebula Award nominated piece of fiction to life. The feature will mark the celebrated writer’s third foray into the on-screen world, having had his novel,The Man Who Fell To Earth, adapted both as a film and recently as a series for Showtime.
Based in an apocalyptic future,Mockingbirdwill tell the story of a drab and dismal time for Earth and its human inhabitants. Torn apart by drugs and an addiction to electronics, the population is dwindling, and the arts are suffering. In this world, there are no children, books, or art, pointing to the all but certain downfall of mankind as we know it. However, there’s still hope. That hope rests on the shoulders of a complicated love triangle between a man, woman, and android.
Backing Har’el in the production ofMockingbirdwill be producerJ. Miles DaleandRobert Schwartz. Har’el will also serve as a producer alongside her longtime collaboratorChristopher Leggett.Alejandro LaguetteandRafael Marmorwill join as executive producers.
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A longtime fan of the science fiction novel, the project holds a special place in Har’el’s heart. Of her excitement in being given the chance to bringMockingbirdto an entirely new audience, the director said:
I’ll never forget the first time I read Mockingbird on the shore of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt when I was 24 years old. This book has changed my life and I’ve been pursuing it for over a decade. I knew that Searchlight was the perfect home for it and I’m thrilled they are partnering with me to bring this to the big screen. Walter Tevis wrote a novel that refuses genre and time, choosing instead to awaken every fiber of your being.
Har’el shattered the glass ceiling when she helmed theShia LaBeoufled filmHoney Boyin 2019. For her work in the feature, the Israeli born creative became the first woman to take home the DGA Award for First-Time Feature Film. She would also nab the title of the first woman to be nominated for both commercial directing (2018) and narrative directing (2020). Next, fans can catch Har’el’s work on Apple TV+, where she’ll direct and executive produce a limited series that she created titledLady in the Lake,in whichNatalie PortmanandLupita Nyong’ostar. A release date is not yet set forMockingbird.
