Henry Faherty
Every so often a certain film genre will suddenly begin to pick up speed without much warning, whether that be a huge increase like with the Marvel and DC comic book universes or more low-key ones such as political and cyber thrillers. Ever since the announcement a few months ago by “The Dark Knight” director, Christopher Nolan, that he would be helming the WWII epic “Dunkirk“, many others of its kind have begun to sprout. Joe Wright is lining up a period piece about Winston Churchill, and Lenny Abrahamson, known best for last year’s Oscar-winning drama “Room“, is now set to direct the WWI thriller “The Grand Escape”.
That’s not to be confused with either of the renowned WWII films called “The Great Escape”, which tell the tale of the POW escape during that war. Abrahamson’s film is going to be an adaptation of the upcoming novel of the same name, written by Neal Bascomb. It will tell the true story of three pilots who were captives in one of Germany’s most notorious prisons who became part of the greatest mass escape of the war. The THR report did not announce any screenwriter for the film but one should be lined up sometime soon.
“Room” got Brie Larson the Oscar for Best Actress, but it garnered four nominations in total, including one for Best Picture. Abrahamson’s other film “Frank“, starring Michael Fassbender, was another critical success, so he’s an exciting choice for a WWI piece. There’s no release date yet but it’s very possible it could shoot for sometime late next year, hoping to get a spot in 2018’s Oscar season.
