Scott Cooper’s adaptation of The Pale Blue Eye has added yet more stellar pedigree to its cast, with Anderson and Gainsbourg joining Christian Bale, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones and Robert Duvall for the upcoming horror project.
Based on the gothic thriller novel by Louis Bayard, The Pale Blue Eye revolves around the attempt to solve a series of murders that took place in 1830 at the U.S Military Academy at West Point. Bale will play a veteran detective who is charged with investigating the murders, assisted by a detail-oriented young cadet who will later become the world-famous author, Edgar Allan Poe, played by Harry Melling (Harry Potter) in this project.
“At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of a young cadet’s body swinging from a rope,” says the book’s official synopsis. “The next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has removed the dead man’s heart. Augustus Landor—who acquired some renown in his years as a New York City police detective—is called in to discreetly investigate. It’s a baffling case Landor must pursue in secret, for the scandal could do irreparable damage to the fledgling institution. But he finds help from an unexpected ally—a moody, young cadet with a penchant for drink, two volumes of poetry to his name, and a murky past that changes from telling to telling. The strange and haunted Southern poet for whom Landor develops a fatherly affection, is named Edgar Allan Poe.”
Fictitious Account
Cooper’s book is not based on anything in history but is a fictional account of Poe’s early life and the bond he forms with Bale’s character, Landor. While these two will undoubtedly be the main characters, the supporting cast is one of the most impressive assembled by a Netflix production. Personally, I am especially impressed by the presence of Robert Duvall, who I had thought to be retired. Adding Gillian Anderson – who has had a stellar run with turns in The Crown and Sex Education, among others recently – seems like a no-brainer and a surefire win for Netflix. Anderson doesn’t appear in too many movies, so it’s exciting to imagine what the two-time Golden Globe and Emmy winner will bring to the table in a period-set horror thriller.
This will be Cooper and Bale’s third collaboration, after previously working on underrated Western Hostiles and crime thriller Out of the Furnace. Most recently Cooper’s work was seen in cinemas with the horror film Antlers, starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons. Melling has been working to distance himself from Dudley Dursley, working with directors like the Coen brothers, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Antonio Campos, as well as on the smash-hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Bale was last seen on our screen in Adam McKay’s Vice and James Mangold’s Ford vs Ferrari.
The Pale Blue Eye is currently in production and will be reviewed on FIB at a later date.
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