Sofia Coppola is returning to cinemas this year with a remake of 1971 thriller The Beguiled.
The Oscar-winning director of Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides has recruited an impressive cast to tell a 19th-century-set story of seduction and betrayal and the trailer hints at darker territory for her.
Colin Farrell stars as John, a wounded soldier brought in by a secluded school for girls, headed up by Martha, played by Nicole Kidman. While his presence is initially welcomed, events take a sinister turn. The film also stars Elle Fanning and Kirsten Dunst, both of whom have worked with Coppola before – Fanning was in Somewhere, and Dunst in Marie Antoinette and The Virgin Suicides.
The original film starred Clint Eastwood in the lead role and both are based on a book by Thomas P Cullinan.
It looks like another strong role for Farrell, currently experiencing something of a career renaissance after a Golden Globe-nominated turn in dark comedy The Lobster and a role in hit Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He’s also set to re-team with both Kidman and Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos in a psychological thriller, The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Kidman is also in the midst of a comeback, with an Oscar nomination for her role in Lion, a major part in new HBO series Big Little Lies alongside Reese Witherspoon and a role in the second series of Top of the Lake. She’s also attached to a remake of French comedy The Untouchables, with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart.
- The Beguiled will be released in US cinemas on 23 June
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