A number of notable directors have unveiled new projects in development. First up, Michael Sarnoski, whose directorial debut Pig was one of last year’s finest films, will next direct A Quiet Place spinoff film but he’s also lined up another project. Deadline reports he’ll helm an adaptation of Nick Drnaso’s graphic novel Sabrina, which follows a man whose girlfriend goes missing and he goes to be with his friend, an Air Force surveillance expert. When his girlfriend’s disappearance goes viral due to a grisly videotape, the news and social media frenzy leads to an uproar between the two men.
Next up, Michel Franco (Sundown, New Order) has quietly begun shooting his next film in NYC, reports IONCINEMA. Led by Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, there are no plot details yet, but cinematographer Yves Cape has returned to work with Franco.
Following her last narrative feature Honey Boy, Alma Har’el has found a new project with an adaptation of Walter Tevis’ Mockingbird for Searchlight Pictures. The sci-fi novel paints a perilous future of a declining human population, fueled by drugs and electronic bliss. A world without art, children, or books where humanity’s future hinges on a love triangle between an android, a man, and a woman.
Nia DaCosta, whose Candyman was released last fall, has found a new project. Deadline reports she will helm an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel The Water Dancer for MGM, Plan B, Harpo Films, and Maceo-Lyn. Released in 2019, here’s the book synopsis: “Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.”
Lastly, Zack Snyder’s sci-fi project Rebel Moon has been in development for some time but the Netflix production has now kicked off. See the first set photos below.