The English Patient.Mission: Impossible.Gosford Park.Tell No One.Darkest Hour. All of these acclaimed films have one performer in common: Oscar-nominated actressKristin Scott Thomas, who exudes class, elegance, and power, elevating every film I’ve ever seen her in. Even her name has gravitas. And now Collider has learned that the English actress will bring her considerable talent to Ben Wheatley’s new adaptation ofRebecca, starringArmie HammerandLily James.
Netflix is teaming with powerhouse production company Working Title on the project, and while the streaming service is avoiding the dreaded “r” word (as in “remake”),Rebecca is based on the sameDaphne du Mauriernovel asAlfred Hitchcock‘s 1940 film of the same name starringLaurence OlivierandJoan Fontaine.
Jane Goldman(X-Men: First Class) wrote the script this time around, and it follows a newly-married young woman who visits her husband’s imposing family estate on a bleak English coast, where she finds herself battling the shadow of his dead first wife — the mysterious Rebecca — whose legacy continues to haunt the house.
Scott Thomas will play Hammer’s longtime housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, who was played byJudith Andersonin the original film. It’s a juicy part for the actress, one that should, on paper, play to her strengths. Recall how good she was asRyan Gosling’s mother inNicolas Winding Refn’s otherwise disappointing thrillerOnly God Forgives, just one example of a film she elevated with her commitment to her character.
Working Title principalsEric FellnerandTim Bevanwill produce alongsideNira Park(Attack the Block), and production is slated to start this summer in the UK and France.
Thomas earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role inThe English Patient. Her more recent credits includeJoe Wright’s dramaDarkest Hourand WB’sTomb Raiderreboot. She’ll soon be seen alongsideSharon Horganin the dramaMilitary Wives, and she’ll also appear in at least one episode of the second season ofPhoebe Waller-Bridge’s TV seriesFleabag. She’s represented by CAA.
Wheatley is the acclaimed director ofKill ListandSightseers, as well asHigh-RiseandFree Fire. He has a unique style all his own, and seems a strong fit for this gothic romance tale, which is putting together quite the cast.
