After earning a trio of Oscar nominations for1917,Sam Mendeshas found his follow-up, as he’s set to write and directEmpire of Light, a period love story that will star fellow Oscar winnerOlivia Colman.
The project is set up at Searchlight Pictures, where Colman won her Oscar forThe Favourite. It will be her first time working with Mendes, who also wrote the script. Though plot details remain under wraps, the setting of the romantic drama involves a beautiful old movie theater on the South Coast of England in the 1980s.
Empire of Lightreunites Mendes with gifted cinematographerRoger Deakins, who won an Oscar for his work on1917. Mendes andPippa Harriswill produce via their Neal Street Productions, and Searchlight executivesMatthew Greenfield,David Greenbaumand UK-basedKatie Goodson-Thomaswill oversee the project on behalf of the studio.
“I have long been an admirer of Searchlight and the dynamic way they have produced and released some of my favorite theatrical releases of recent years,” Mendes said in a statement. “This project is very close to my heart, and I couldn’t be more delighted that it has found its ideal home.”
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“Sam has written an exquisite cinematic drama that captured our hearts from page one. He is a masterful filmmaker, and we look forward to working with him, Pippa, and Roger and to reunite with the great Olivia on this truly special film,” Greenbaum and Greenfield added in a joint statement.
Mendes won an Oscar forAmerican Beautyand directed the two most recent James Bond films,SkyfallandSpectre. His classy credits also includeJarhead,Revolutionary Road,Away We Goand my personal favorite,Road to Perdition, which marked Mendes’ first time working withDaniel Craig. Meanwhile,1917was nominated for 10 Oscars and grossed $384 million worldwide.
Colman is currently up for an Oscar for her supporting turn inThe FatheroppositeAnthony Hopkins. Colman will soon be seen alongsideColin Firthin the indie dramaMothering Sundayand she has also wrappedMaggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debutThe Lost Daughter, which pairs her withDakota Johnson.
Empire of Lightis shaping up to be an instant Oscar contender, but regardless of whether or not it finds itself up for awards, I’m just excited to see Mendes' love letter to movie theaters, which certainly meant more to people in the ’80s than they do now, unfortunately. Hopefully, the theatrical exhibition industry will have fully rebounded by the timeEmpire of Lightis ready to shine.
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