Morrie's_Wig wrote:Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal in talks to star
Based on the novel by Austin Wright titled “Tony and Susan,” the plot is described as a “story inside a story,” with the first part following a woman named Susan who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, a man whom she left 20 years earlier, asking for her opinion.
The second element follows the actual manuscript, called “Nocturnal Animals,” which revolves around a man whose family vacation turns violent and deadly. It also continues to follow the story of Susan, who finds herself recalling her first marriage and confronting some dark truths about herself.
Sources say actors were immediately drawn to the project when the script hit the market, and Adams was the first to sign on, as she was interested in the part of Susan, with Gyllenhaal pushing hard for the male lead.
Though Ford won’t discuss title or plot lest he divulge secrets too early and bore himself along the way, he provides snippets of insight. He wrote the screenplay himself, finishing it in September. It’s an adaptation of a novel for which he bought the rights, not a well-known book and all the better for that. At this point at least, he has little interest in taking on material pre-loaded with audience expectations. He has changed the title and made considerable revisions to the story. As planned, the film is in two parts, the first faithful to the original material, and the second, completely new.
“A book is a book; a film is a film,” Ford says. “They are totally different things. Sometimes things are subtle in a book because there’s an inner monologue with the character, and turning it into a film, you don’t have that inner monologue—unless you do, which I don’t love.…You have to have something personal; you have to take what speaks to you about a book and amplify that. It’s impressionism, in a way.”
Unlike most directors, whose schedules and deadlines are project-based, Ford must work around an intractable fashion calendar. His narrow shooting window runs from Sept. 15 through December. If for some reason the film doesn’t come together in time, his next opportunity is the same time, next year. “I only need six weeks,” he says, noting that editing will be more flexible; he can set up a room in London. He shot A Single Man in 21 days: “I paid for it myself.”
Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals Sells for a Cool $20M at Cannes
Tom Ford's second directorial project just got a big vote of confidence in Cannes, where the eponymous film festival is taking place. Focus Features just purchased the worldwide rights to Nocturnal Animals for $20 million, reports Entertainment Weekly.
Ford earned plenty of praise for his debut movie, 2009's A Single Man, and there's been much talk of his follow-up project. Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams are set to star in the film, an adaptation of Austin Wright's 1993 novel Tony and Susan, which Ford plans to write, direct, and produce.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon Join Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Nocturnal Animals’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have joined Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals.”
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the drama, which marks Ford’s follow-up to “A Single Man.” Ford is also writing and producing the project.
Focus Features is handling worldwide distribution after winning a bidding war this past May at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film is an adaptation of Austin Wright’s 1993 novel “Tony And Susan.” The first of the two-part story follows a woman (Adams) who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, who she left 20 years earlier, asking for her opinion. The second part revolves around a man (Gyllenhaal) whose family vacation turns violent.
Shannon will play a detective investigating the violent incident Gyllenhaal’s family is involved with and Taylor-Johnson plays a mysterious figure who may pose a threat to Gyllenhaal’s family.
