For as quickly and widely as he works, Michael Winterbottom can hold on to a single idea for some time. Case in point: not long after steam picked up on his sequel to The Trip — a title originally announced in mid-2011 — THR have learned of movement on another long-developing title: The Face of an Angel, ostensibly based on the controversial Italian trial and conviction of American student Amanda Knox. But not a typical court drama with shocking testimonies and closing, up-to-date text filling in the audience on where characters are now; as the story of a journalist trying to crack this story, it’s a puzzle movie “without a solution.”
The lead was to have been played by Colin Firth, but, in the nearly three years since that announcement, he goes unmentioned in the most recent update. All else would appear to be in place: Winterbottom will adapt an account by Barbie Latza Nadeau, who — rather controversially — suggested that Knox was guilty of the crime for which she’s still incarcerated. Understandably so, the writer-director was “wary of mentioning the murder case because the film is about more than that.” As the outlet’s discussion would reveal, The Face of an Angel takes a (potentially) more ambitious approach, treating her “initial conviction as a springboard for a wider investigation of society’s fascination with violence, rather than love,” responsibilities and actions of the press included.
If you’re intrigued, there’s good news: Winterbottom has already rounded out shooting on The Trip to Italy, his aforementioned sequel, opening the opportunity to shift gears toward the project at hand. The Italian company Cattleya and BBC Films are to produce; expect casting to kick off in the near future.
What do you make of Angel, based on the available information?