Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes are working on a new film titled “1917” that portrays World War I.
Spielberg’s production company Amblin will produce the film and Mendes will direct it, according to Task & Purpose.
Spielberg is behind films such as Saving Private Ryan, Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. Mendes’ notable titles include Jarhead, Skyfall, Spectre, and Road to Perdition.
Shooting for 1917 will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Govan Graving Docks and should begin on April 22.
More details emerge on World War I blockbuster from Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg. https://t.co/7JGKamX5Q1 pic.twitter.com/uNcYAhejOo
— ArmyTimes (@ArmyTimes) March 27, 2019
Filming is expected to last 10 weeks, but the actual shoot will take just four days. The rest of the time will be used for setting up and tearing down shoot scenes.
The only thing that is known about the film’s plot is that it takes place when the U.S. first joined the war.
Among the confirmed actors are Dean-Charles Chapman, who played Tommen Baratheon on Game of Thrones, and George MacKay who had roles in Captain Fantastic and 11.22.63, Task & Purpose stated.
Other actors listed on the film’s IMDb page include Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Daniel Mays, and more.
Mendes, along with Krysty Wilson-Cairns will also cowrite the script, a first-time venture for Mendes. Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins is also joining in the movie venture with Spielberg and Mendes.
Deakins won the Oscar for best cinematographer on Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, and has been nominated for Sicario, Prisoners, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, and Shawshank Redemption, Military Times stated.
Amblin Partners confirmed in June that they would be financing the film. It is scheduled for a limited release on Christmas Day and will be in theaters on January 10, 2020.
Spielberg said about Mendes, “Our company has been a home for Sam since his first film. I am so happy to have him back here in his old room spinning new stories – especially this hugely daring and ambitious new movie.”
Mendes said, “I couldn’t be happier to be back working with Amblin and Steven Spielberg again. I’ve been working on this script for over a year, so it’s very exciting to start making the movie itself a reality.”
With Spielberg and Mendes at the helm and their successes with Saving Private Ryan and Jarhead, some expect the film to be a hit and an accurate portrayal of war.
