Having directed two Daniel Craig James Bond movies in Skyfall and Spectre, Sam Mendes has now headed to the First World War. 1917 features an all-star cast in what looks to be a big contender at the 2020 Oscars. The official synopsis reads: “At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.”
It continues: “1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful).
“The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris (co-executive producer, Revolutionary Road; executive producer, Away We Go) for their Neal Street Productions, Jayne-Ann Tenggren (co-producer, The Rhythm Section; associate producer, Spectre), Callum McDougall (executive producer, Mary Poppins Returns, Skyfall) and Brian Oliver (executive producer, Rocketman; Black Swan).”
The film also re-teams Mendes with Skyfall cinematographer Roger Deakins, who recently won an Oscar for Blade Runner 2049 after 14 nominations without a win.
Meanwhile, 1917 has some Academy Awards competition in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman; a Netflix original reunites Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci for a gangster thriller.
The official synopsis reads: “Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organised crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th Century.
“Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organised crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.”
The new movie is based on Charles Brandt’s book, I Heard You Paint Houses, about the deathbed confession of Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran – a former hitman who revealed the truth behind the disappearance of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa in 1975.
Aside from The Irishman, there are some other hot contenders for the 2020 Oscars.
This month Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is released and currently has the best odds of 6-1 to win Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards.
This isn’t too surprising considering the incredible cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, the fact Tarantino hasn’t won for Best Director or Best Picture yet and most of all the Academy can’t resist a movie about their very own Tinseltown.
Meanwhile, according to Coral, The Irishman is at 8-1 for the top Oscar while Cats, A Beautiful Day in The Neighbourhood, The Laundromat, 1917 and The Lighthouse are all on 10-1.
1917 is released in UK cinemas on January 10, 2020.