According to Deadline, Samuel Goldwyn Films has successfully acquired the North American distribution rights to Colombian director Ciro Guerra’s first English-language drama film titled Waiting for the Barbarians, based on Nobel Prize-winning author J.M. Coetzee’s novel of the same name. Starring Oscar nominee Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson (Good Time), the film was originally set to be released in theaters but has now been moved for a digital release sometime this August.
“It has been a great honour to work with this wonderful cast and passionate crew in bringing J.M. Coet- zee’s masterpiece to the screen,” Guerra said in a statement. “It is a timeless story that speaks volumes to our world today, and we’re very happy and excited to be finally bringing it to audiences in the US through this partnership with Samuel Goldwyn Films.”
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Waiting for the Barbarians follows the story of a Magistrate of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire who looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll, whose task it is to report on the activities of the ‘barbarians’ and on the security situation on the border. Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations, which leads the Magistrate to question his loyalty to the empire.
The film will be led by Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantastic Beasts) as Colonel Joll, Robert Pattinson (Devil All the Time, The Batman) as Officer Mandel, and Academy Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) as Magistrate. It will also feature Greta Scacchi, David Dencik, Sam Reid, Harry Melling, Gana Bayarsaikhan and Bill Milner.
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Waiting for the Barbarians is directed by Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent) from a screenplay by author J.M. Coetzee. The film is produced by Iervolino Entertainment’s Michael Fitzgerald, Olga Segura, and Andrea Iervolino along with Monika Bacardi. It is also executive produced by Sir Martin Franklin, Cristina Gallego, Danielle Maloni, Deborah Dobson Bach, and Penelope Glass.
The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.
