Here’s an interesting new project stirring up interest in Cannes this year. I can see a distributor like Neon or Mubi picking this one up.
“Outer Dark,” an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 1968 novel, has found its stars in Jacob Elordi and Lily-Rose Depp. The film marks the English-language debut of “Son of Saul” director Laszlo Nemes.
A bleak and mythic tale set in Depression-era Appalachia, Outer Dark follows a young woman who gives birth to her brother’s child. The brother abandons the infant in the forest, falsely claiming it died naturally. Upon discovering the truth, the sister sets out in search of her child. Meanwhile, a trio of ominous figures trails the siblings, leaving a wake of horror as they move through the rural South.
If Nemes hasn’t released a film in seven years, his last one was was 2018’s “Sunset,” he now has two projects in development, and a new film already in the can.
Nemes, who penned the “Outer Dark” script with longtime collaborator Clara Royer, has his upcoming drama “Orphan” set to hit the fall fests this year; he is also preparing to shoot “Moulin,” a French-language WWII epic about resistance hero Jean Moulin, starring Gilles Lellouche.
Both Elordi and Depp are coming off major career highs. Depp starred in the Oscar-nominated “Nosferatu,” while Elordi will next appear in a string of high-profile films including Del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” and Ridley Scott’s “Dog Stars.”
McCarthy’s work has a strong cinematic legacy, with adaptations like “No Country for Old Men” and “The Road.” There’s also a “Blood Meridian” movie in development, set to be directed by John Hillcoat. Then there’s Jeff Nichols who is working on shooting adaptations of McCarthy’s last two novels, “Stella Marris,” and “The Passenger.”