Romantic thriller Rebecca lands Armie Hammer and Lily James to star
The 1938 gothic romantic thriller novel Rebecca is once again making the leap from page to screen, with Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) and Lily James (Baby Driver) set to star in lead roles, according to The Wrap. Director Ben Wheatley (High Rise) will be helming the Rebecca remake for Working Title, with a script by Jane Goldman (Kingsman franchise).
Daphne du Maurier’s novel, first published back in 1938, tells the story of a newly-married woman who arrives at her husband’s bleak coastal estate only to find she’s overshadowed by his previous wife. Like the title of the book, the late Rebecca’s legacy can be felt everywhere.
It’s not the first time du Maurier’s Rebecca has been adapted for the big screen. A version in 1940 directed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock, which starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. It won Best Picture and Best Cinematography at the 12th annual Academy Awards and became a rare example of a film winning the night’s top award without receiving any for acting or direction. The novel was also adapted twice for English television, once in 1979 starring Jeremy Brett and once again for Masterpiece Theater in 1997 with Charles Dance and Diana Rigg.
Hammer is currently enjoying a hot streak in Hollywood. After a showstopping performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name, he’s currently starring opposite Felicity Jones in the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex. He’s also worked with Wheatley before, appearing as a gun runner in 2016’s comedic shoot-em-up Free Fire.
James starred in this summers Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, as well as recent roles in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and the WWII epic Darkest Hour opposite Gary Oldman. Next up, she’s set to play the leading role in Trainspotting director Danny Boyle’s upcoming musical project.
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