Focus Features has announced that production is now underway on Sofia Coppola’s new film The Beguiled, which is based on Thomas Cullinan’s novel of the same name.
The Beguiled unfolds in a girls’ school in the state of Virginia in 1864. As the Civil War rages, The Miss Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies has been sheltered from the outside world— until the day a wounded Union soldier is discovered nearby and taken in.
Colin Farrell (In Bruges), Nicole Kidman (The Hours), Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides) and Elle Fanning (Somewhere) lead the cast alongside Oona Laurence (Pete’s Dragon), Emma Howard (Transparent), Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) and Addison Riecke (The Thundermans).
“It is personally and professionally a pleasure to be making a movie with Sofia Coppola again,” said Focus chairman Peter Kujawski. “The twisted turns of the story, combined with Sofia’s empathy for the characters being portrayed by these gifted actors, will keep audiences in suspense. Everyone at Focus is thrilled to be bringing The Beguiled to theaters next summer.”
The Beguiled was previously adapted for the big screen in 1971, with Don Siegel directing a cast that included Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page.