(L to R) Parminder Nagra and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Preview:
A ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ sequel is in development.
Co-writer/director Gurinder Chadha is kicking around story ideas.
She’s hoping original stars Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley will return.
Women’s soccer (this British writer is kicking himself having to type that, with every fiber in his being screaming: “FOOTBALL!!”) is very much having a moment thanks to England’s women’s team triumphing over Spain in this weekend’s Women’s European Championship final to become winners twice in a row.
One filmmaker hoping to take advantage of the new interest is someone who helped spur it previously: Gurinder Chadha, who co-wrote and directed 2002 sports comedy drama ‘Bend it Like Beckham,’ is looking to make a sequel.
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With the original starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Chadha is hopeful that the cast might return, though while everyone has indicated interested, they’re all waiting to see the script.
Keira Knightley in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The original followed Jess Bhamra (Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, who is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18.
When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton (Knightley), who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team.
Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe (Meyers).
What could happen in the ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ sequel?
(L to R) Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
“I didn’t want to do anything because I didn’t have a story. And then I came up with a great story, really super-cool story. So now I’m inspired. Literally came up with it just about a month ago. It’s my very clear wish to bring the characters back very, very soon. Women’s football is more competitive ,more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it.”
Her aim is to write the script with her husband, Paul Mayeda Berges, who also worked on the original:
“I’m hoping to write it with Paul, who has come up with some very funny lines like he did last time.”
When might a ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ sequel be on screens?
While there isn’t an official release date set, Chadha reportedly wants to have the sequel ready for a 2027 release, which would be 25 years after the original movie’s release in the UK.
And, not-so-coincidentally, it’s a key year for the game, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament set to kick off in host nation Brazil in June that year.
(L to R) Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Parminder Nagra in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Launching with all six episodes on Netflix on December 5th, ‘Black Doves’ almost feels like it could be a crossbreed between an expensive BBC drama and a Shane Black movie.
The former for the production values and starry British-led cast (with the financing instead coming from the world’s biggest streaming service) and the latter for the chewy, satisfying dialogue, occasional bursts of violence and Christmas setting.
Does ‘Black Doves’ fly high?
Ben Whishaw in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
‘Black Doves’ is the latest series to hail from Joe Barton, a TV veteran whose career to date includes the excellent, if little-seen (and quickly cancelled) ‘Giri/Haji’ and more recently twisty sci-fi thriller ‘The Lazarus Project.’
We’d predict that ‘Black Doves’ probably gave him less of a headache to figure out than his last gig, which is not to say that it doesn’t include its own twists and turns as Keira Knightley’s character delves into a mystery with some international implications.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
Barton also wrote all six scripts (probably another reason this feels so very British –– it had a singular vision guiding it from the executive producer’s office), and that gives the whole show a cohesive feel.
This is a propulsive, darkly funny action thriller sliced up into episodic chunks, and for the most part works really, really well. The set-piece fight scenes are impressive but not overused, and the conversations feel authentically human even as they involve geopolitics or the enshrouding main mystery.
Yes, there are certainly some trope-heavy moments common to so many thrillers in this genre, but few feel so predictable as to ruin the effect.
Directors Alex Gabassi and Lisa Gunning took three episodes each, and as with Barton’s writing, they all feel of a piece. The action is dynamic, and the show as whole looks beautiful. It helps that the backdrop is a twinkly London at Christmastime, but this is no shiny rom-com.
Performances
With Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw as the focus, the whole cast has something to contribute.
Keira Knightley as Helen Webb
Keira Knightley in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
We’ve seen Knightley do action in the past, but her character here is more layered and nuanced than many of her movie roles. Helen is a woman with a checkered past and whose life is split between family and duty –– even if that duty is to a mercenary espionage outfit rather than her country.
Here, the actor has the chance to combine her natural charm with a steely edge that works well for her. And she’s a great double-act with Whishaw.
Ben Whishaw as Sam Young
Ben Whishaw in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
With espionage experience under his belt (albeit more as the tech-happy Q in the Daniel Craig Bond movies), Whishaw taps into something primal for ‘Doves’ Sam –– he’s a man who accepts the life of a fixer for the organization, while also showing a vulnerable side that aches to get back to a normal life with his ex, Michael (a superb Omari Douglas).
This is a different side to Whishaw than we’re used to seeing on screen, and a welcome one.
Sarah Lancashire in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
Lancashire, British acting royalty at this stage partly thanks to her commanding work in ‘Happy Valley,’ is a convincing blend of imperious handler to Knightley’s Helen and ice queen operative.
She may not get her hands bloody directly (she has people for that), but she sweeps into scenes and delivers what could be tough exposition with grace and style.
Hunter has become a reliable scene-stealer, and here plays the hard-nosed crime boss Lenny, who rules with an iron hand. Her scenes, particularly with Whishaw (whose character once worked for her), are always crackling with energy and danger.
This is an actor who can do so much with even the smallest role.
We won’t exactly specify Ullman’s role, as it’s something of a spoiler, but suffice to say when she shows up, she really has an impact.
Other Notable Characters
(L to R) Gabrielle Creev, Katherine Hunter and Ella Lily Hyland in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
The rest of the ‘Doves’ ensemble is a reliable bunch of British (and American) performers, with Gabrielle Creevy and Antonia Campbell-Hughes both excellent as chatty assassins, while Andrew Buchan is stalwart as Helen’s politician husband, who gets to do more than just be her other half.
If there’s one actor who seems shortchanged by his role, it’s Andrew Koji, who mostly appears in brief flashbacks and mostly serves as a plot point rather than a character.
Final Thoughts
Ben Whishaw in ‘Black Doves’. Photo: Netflix.
It’s not every spy thriller you could conceivably see slotting into your Christmas re-watch list. And while ‘Black Doves’ may not be perfect –– slipping as it does into cliché occasionally –– it’s still a very entertaining example the genre, with great writing and good performances.
‘Black Doves’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Black Doves’?
Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, ‘Black Doves’ is a story of friendship and sacrifice.
It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.
When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe.
Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.
Released on Hulu today, ‘Boston Strangler’ faces the pressure of being both a true crime story and a crusading journalist narrative, which have been brought to screens in compelling and memorable form by stories such as Netflix‘s ‘Mindhunter’ and ‘Spotlight’. We bring up those two titles in particular, because this new movie comes across as a mash-up of both, even if it’s not quite playing on their level.
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What’s the story of ‘Boston Strangler’
One of the most infamous crime cases in history, the story of the Boston Strangler has already inspired several movies and TV series. Between 1962 and 1964, more than a dozen single women, ranging in age from 19 to 85, were killed in the Boston area, all of them strangled, their bodies posed provocatively by a mysterious attacker who came to be known as the “Boston Strangler.”
Although convicted sex offender Alberto DeSalvo confessed to the crimes, there was no physical evidence tying him to the victims; he instead received a life sentence for a separate series of rapes and sexual assaults and was stabbed to death in prison years after his conviction. Speculation remains whether he was the sole perpetrator of the Strangler murders — decades later, the case is the subject of widespread fascination for many armchair sleuths and true-crime aficionados.
Written and directed by Matt Ruskin, ‘Boston Strangler’ follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, who becomes the first journalist to connect the murders.
When we first meet her, Loretta is assigned to the lifestyle section, she pushes to do more crime reporting, even as her hard-bitten bosses think she’s not up to the job. Early stumbles don’t help with that impression, but she’s soon making progress.
As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims and fear spreads across the city, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation alongside colleague and confidante Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), yet the duo finds themselves stymied by the rampant sexism of the era.
Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Cole bravely pursue the story at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.
Ruskin, no stranger to true crime tales after ‘Crown Heights’ and a wealth of documentary experience, brings a sure touch to the new movie, which does convincingly follow in the footsteps of ‘Zodiac’ and other serial killer thrillers.
Knightley and Coon of course bring great performances to the central roles, convincingly embodying women who are battling their bosses and trying to juggle family life even as they dig into the complicated case.
Unlike, say, the recent ‘She Said’, which slightly suffered from showing the journalists digging into a case that was largely in the past, ‘Boston Strangler’ –– despite its period setting –– throws you right into the heart of the case as the murders are still happening, and the two women are under threat even as they work to find the truth.
And that 1960s setting also means that the difficulties the pair face in convincing anyone to take them seriously are deeper and more shocking when viewed through today’s lens. When you have cops falsely claiming that a journalist was flirting with one of their officers to get information, you know the stakes are higher than just dealing with the crime.
Refreshingly, Ruskin doesn’t shy away from the divisions that crept in between the two as the case continued, as their differing ideas on the investigation began to drag them apart (though they still remained friends afterwards). And despite a clear passion for their work, he crafts the characters as fallible humans, not just crusading angels.
Around the central pair, the writer/director also builds a classy ensemble of veterans including Chris Cooper as editor Jack MacLaine, the man who reluctantly gives McLaughlin her shot at the crime desk. He’s a boozy, old school newspaper man who has connections to the cops that she’s frustrating but finds it within himself to back her when he realizes that she’s truly on to something.
There’s also the likes of Alessandro Nivola as driven cop Detective Conley, who figures out that it’s better to work with McLaughlin rather than stonewall her, and Bill Camp as Commissioner McNamara, who resents her stories painting his department in a bad light, however true it might be.
One major issue with the film late on is the pace, which slackens noticeably even as it should be ramping up. True, Ruskin is largely bound by the true story –– which can be both a blessing and a curse when you’re trying to make a compelling movie.
Part of the frustration of this case, with none of the authorities able to pin down a suspect (and being massively negligent when it comes to digging into the case) translates to the screen as the story starts to drag a little.
And Knightley, while breathing convincing life into McLaughlin, manages an American accent, but it’s not one you’d quite describe as “Bostonian” (especially given the real McLaughlin was born in Massachusetts) and it stands out even more given the accents around her (Coon, for example, sounds convincingly like she comes from the area). But it’s not a huge issue as you’re too busy following the journalists’ story.
Though it’s a shame that Disney decided to put the movie on to Hulu rather than giving it a shot in theaters, you can see why it might be considered a risk –– unless you have the likes of David Fincher aboard, there’s a chance audiences won’t show up for such a dark, moody thriller in an age of giant franchise movies.
Ably telling its story with just a few issues of its own, ‘Boston Strangler’ is a worthy addition to the genre blending journalism and crime.
As friends and family gather on Christmas Eve tensions rise – but not for the usual reasons. It’s slowly revealed that the end of society as we know it is nigh. As a poisonous cloud descends upon the United Kingdom, petty differences are worked through, grievances are aired, and despite it all, love remains all around them.
Griffin sat down with Moviefone ahead of the gala presentation of ‘Silent Night’ at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Moviefone: How did you first decide to combine a holiday film with an apocalypse film?
Camille Griffin: First of all, I’m the annoying person at a dinner party who wants to talk about real things, and I get on people’s nerves, because I’m not talking about nonsense. And I’ve noticed that a lot of people don’t have the tolerance or the energy to always have big, dramatic conversations. And I don’t mind having a polite argument or something and then like having a drink. I like having difficult conversations. But I know that a lot of people don’t. So that, for me, is why I tried to make a comedy because I wanted to talk about important things, but make it entertaining, and not lecture or be a bore. I thought if I have a load of great actors playing great characters and great dialogue and funny moments, then I can maybe get some important points across. I just wanted to ask questions with the film. I’m not trying to give the answers obviously, you can obviously have a clue and insight into my political values. I sound very middle class, I was brought up middle class.
I used to get very sentimental at Christmas. You miss the people you haven’t spoken to, your friends that you’ve fallen out with, or your family. That dodgy brother or sister who annoys you. There’s a sentimentality about Christmas, and relationships and friendship. And I think as I’ve got maybe weller, emotionally and psychologically older, I’ve become less sentimental. But there’s something so profoundly powerful about the sentimentality of Christmas, and how we want to be with your loved ones and friends and family.
MF: Was the Michael Bublé song ‘Christmas Sweater’ written for the film? It’s used very uniquely three or four different times.
Griffin: Matthew Vaughn, who was my original producer, and still producer, but then he brought on Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler. Matthew is a great entrepreneur. Other than being a filmmaker and producer, he has his hands in many creative pockets. He was tinkering on his piano and came up with this Christmas song. He took it to Gary Barlow, from Take That. He’s an amazing songwriter. They’ve written songs before, and they came up with this. Our composer Lorne Balfe, he only admitted to me last minute that he also worked on the song.
Matthew said we need to shoot a beginning where they’re all on their way. I said, so they can play your Christmas song? And he said yes. So then the song had to then be brought into the film and became part of the storytelling. But it didn’t originate from me, and it didn’t originate from my film, but I did take the song. And I love that you notice that it has an unusual usage. He asked who do you want to sing it? I said, it’s got to be Michael Bublé, Michael Bublé is Mr. Christmas, you know? And then he was like, I’ve got Michael Bublé!. I said we have to integrate throughout the film.
MF: How did you cast this large ensemble? Did you have any of them in mind when you were writing?
Griffin: I thought I was going to make the film for no money. Because I have been writing screenplays for an awful long time. So I came back from ‘Jojo Rabbit’ because my son was in ‘Jojo Rabbit’. And I saw Taika [Waititi] using comedy. And I thought, God he’s very clever to use this comedy idea. I’m going to use comedy, I’m going to write comedy. I’m going to write a really dark comedy, because all my stories were kind of melancholic and challenging. And I thought, okay, I can use comedy that’s going to make it so much better. Or when I make my movie, that’s a very rich person I know for money. And I went to Matthew Vaughn for advice. And he said, I’ll make your film. I’d written it for my friends who are actors, because I used to be a camera assistant for many years. I’ve worked in the industry for a long time, and I’ve accumulated friendships with some actors. I wrote it for people who are my age. One of the first things Matthew said was, Oh, we got to cast much younger, we’re old Camille. It really hit me, hearing him say we’re old, actually really hit me because I’ve never had a problem with age. I have to be honest, I didn’t write the film for that cast, because I wrote the film for a much older cast.
But as soon as he had that conversation, I was like, okay, well, wouldn’t it be amazing to have Keira Knightley play Nell? Wouldn’t that’d be fun, like, this whole kind of Working Title beginning and the idea of perfection and Christmas happiness. And I was like, we’ve got to get Keira. She’s Miss Perfection and sweet. Audiences think of her as like the perfect British jewel. We had a causal conversation right at the beginning of our development process, then months later he said Keira Knightley had read the script and wanted to talk to me. So it all starts with Keira, and she loved it. We had an amazing conversation on the phone, then we met in person and I fell in love with her. And then people wanted to work with Keira, but we were very careful with who we cast because everyone in the film is a version of who I’d written it for originally, if that makes sense.
They’re exceptional. There isn’t one person that I’m not so grateful to because they were really up for playing. They were up for being extreme. They were all up for trying things that weren’t comfortable. I was so lucky. I had to cut a few times because I couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t believe they had this endless pit of delivering brilliant performances.
MF: Keira’s boys in the film are played by your sons. How did you decide to cast them?
Griffin: So the three boys are mine and Davida McKenzie is a friend of ours. She’s Thomasin McKenzie‘s little sister. The boys had become close to her on ‘Jojo Rabbit’. It wasn’t that I just wanted to cast my kids, I obviously wrote the part from Roman and Roman and I had been on a long journey together with him wanting to act way before ‘Jojo’, and thank God for ‘Jojo’ it changed his life. But I knew that the kids were going to be part of a big gang of actors, and that the characters were going to be subjected to a certain amount of trauma. We did meet some kids because Davida lives in New Zealand, she’s bloody miles away. I kept saying, I want Davida, but she’s in New Zealand, we can’t afford to bring her over. We did audition other actresses, but they just didn’t have what she had. The kid needs to feel safe, because she’s bullied through the whole film, and if she’s got her friends, Roman, Gilby and Hardy, they’re all friends, she’ll feel safe.
Also, I don’t want to kill other people’s kids, I’d rather pretend kill my kids. They’re going to be fine because they know it’s a conversation, it’s a metaphor. But I didn’t want to do the same to someone else’s child, who then didn’t feel safe. My kids and I had these, we have quite an extreme family, we’re quite volatile and passionate and loving. So I just thought it’d be safer for them as children if they were my children and our friend.
MF: What do you hope people feel after they’ve walked away from this film?
Griffin: I don’t want to hurt anyone because I know the film is upsetting. I’ve cried a lot myself through the film, because I care about those characters. They’re also very dysfunctional characters, they’re very flawed characters, but I cared about them because they became real. I think we all believe that there should be a slight trigger warning in the film. I don’t want the audience to be angry or hurt, which is why it’s important that they’re not tricked. I’m very grateful there’s a slight warning that, you know, it’s a dark comedy, and there’s death in it.
I do want people to think, you know, how do we treat our younger generation? Do we allow them to ask questions? Do we listen to them? Do we allow them to challenge us? They’re going to have to inherit a damaged planet, they’re going to have to inherit a damaged society. I also think, fundamentally, do we give a shit about each other? Like, I care? Am I doing enough? I’m not doing that much, because I’ve got three kids to look after. And if I think I’d like to leave the world a better place, but I’m feeding and cooking and helping them. But because I think okay, well, I want to be a filmmaker, and I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was a young child. So maybe if I can ask the questions in cinema, and we can walk away and go, well, Jesus, that was hard, that wasn’t easy to watch. It’ll make us think, are we doing enough? Are we recycling enough? Are we paying enough taxes? Is our government making the right decisions? Are we getting vaccinated? Do we care about our neighbor? You know, how do we care about racism? Are we going to change our political view? The characters say, we should have voted Green. It’s like, yeah, maybe we should all be voting Green. So I like to think that, you know, Trump’s gone now, thank God. But there’s a lot of recovery from the mistakes my government has done and the American Government’s, certainly. That’s what I’m trying to achieve with the film.
MF: Could you recommend another female filmmaker that inspired you who readers should seek out?
Griffin: I think the interesting thing is there’s a lot of women writers, there’s a lot of women, cinematographers, there’s a lot of women actors, and I think they’re all artists. Recently I’ve been recommending a film called ‘Polisse’, not because I’m saying it’s one of my absolute favorite films, but because it’s a film I saw at the Cannes Film Festival many years ago by a filmmaker called Maïwenn, who had been an actress. It was an extraordinarily powerful film about the French police system and children. And I remember just sobbing and sobbing and for weeks I was obsessed with her film and obsessed with her as a filmmaker. It’s not easy. I don’t have easy conversations. So if someone wants something fun to watch, they shouldn’t watch that. But it’s called ‘Polisse’ and it was breathtaking.
‘Silent Night’ premieres on September 16 as part of the Gala Presentation series at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.
Kristen Bell is a Disney princess. She voices Princess Anna in “Frozen.” But she’s not a yes woman, and she’s not afraid to challenge the Disney tropes as she raises her daughters Lincoln, 5, and Delta, 3.
Bell recently talked to Parents about reading “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to her daughters. Bell said, once she reads a story to her kids, they talk about and question the message:
“Every time we close ‘Snow White’ I look at my girls and ask, ‘Don’t you think it’s weird that Snow White didn’t ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Or where she got that apple?’ I say, ‘I would never take food from a stranger, would you?’ And my kids are like, ‘No!’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m doing something right.’”
Also…
“Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?” Bell says she has asked her daughters. “Because you can not kiss someone if they’re sleeping!”
Bell’s interview happened to be posted around the same time that new Disney star Keira Knightley was talking to Ellen about banning her kids from watching certain Disney princess films.
Warner Bros.
This is not the first time anyone has challenged Disney princesses, but it’s kind of new for high-profile Disney stars to do it in interviews. That said, they weren’t bashing all Disney movies, just speaking for themselves and appreciating evolution away from the early “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Cinderella” passive-damsel-in-distress storylines.
Of course, there was blowback — even though neither actress was suggesting other fans follow their lead. Conservative Ben Shapiro jumped on Bell’s comments, and she defended herself in the replies:
As parents of young children can attest, kids absorb way more information than you think they do. And that’s why Keira Knightley says she’s “banned” her daughter from watching certain films.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres this week, Knightley explained that she wants to support all of her daughter’s dreams — even when the three-and-a-half-year-old recently declared that she wants to be a lion when she grows up. And part of encouraging her daughter’s independence means that the young girl isn’t allowed to see certain Disney princesses in action.
“She waits around for a rich guy to rescue her,” Knightley said of the title character. “Don’t. Rescue yourself, obviously.”
Another flick on Knightley’s banned list is a bit harder for the actress to enforce, since she admitted that she actually loves the movie. But “The Little Mermaid” is also in the Do Not Watch category.
“The songs are great, but do not give your voice up for a man!” the exasperated actress exclaimed. “Hello!”
But lest you think Knightley has put a blanket ban on anything and everything Disney-related, fear not: She told DeGeneres that “Finding Dory” (which not-so-coincidentally features the voice of DeGeneres in the titular role), “Frozen,” and “Moana” were all family favorites.
Knightley herself is trying to help lead the charge at the studio in the way of female empowerment, starring in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films and the upcoming “Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” We have a feeling that that latter flick will be a popular movie night selection in Knightley’s home in the coming years.
“All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world.
It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets.
Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Dame Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.
Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.”
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” dances into theaters November 2nd, 2018.
The hand that holds the pen writes history, as someone muses in the trailer for “Colette.” And Keira Knightley wants to make damn well sure that everyone knows she’s the one holding it.
Knightley stars as the titular woman who marries successful writer Willy (Dominic West). He persuades her to ghostwrite a book for it, but the semi-autobiographical novel’s resulting smash success changes the dynamics of their relationship. And Colette begins to challenge their roles, her sexuality, and societal constraints.
“You molded me to your own desires. And you thought that I could never break free.,” Colette defiantly tells Willy. “Well, you’re wrong.”
The long-in-the-works project comes from screenwriter Richard Glazer and director Walsh Westmoreland and is well-timed in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp. Knightley recently told Variety, “The fact that the movie is coming out right now isn’t a surprise.”
Congratulations to Dame Emma Thompson! The Oscar-winning actress was just named a Dame (the British equivalent of a knighthood) by Queen Elizabeth.
Also being awarded with slightly lesser honors: Tom Hardy, who was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which is two spots lower than a knighthood); and Keira Knightley, who received an OBE, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Most excellent news all around.
Thompson, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Howards End” and a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “Sense and Sensibility,” just starred in a BBC production of “King Lear” with her “Howards End” costar, Anthony Hopkins.
She also has “The Children Act” opening in August in the UK. She plays a judge in the drama, which was written by novelist Ian McEwan.
Congratulations to Dame