Rosebushpruning: Kristen Stewart, Elle Fanning star in Fists in the Pocket remake

Almost sixty years ago, Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio made his feature directorial debut with the psychological drama Fists in the Pocket. Kavac Film recently acquired the remake rights to that film, and The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that it’s going to be made under the title Rosebushpruning. Kristen Stewart (Underwater), Elle Fanning (The Great), and Josh O’Connor (The Crown) have signed on to star in the film.

Karim Aïnouz, whose period drama Firebrand premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this month, will be directing Rosebushpruning from a screenplay by Efthimis Filippou (Dogtooth). Fists in the Pocket was about a young man suffering from epilepsy plotting the murders of his dysfunctional family.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that Fists in the Pocket proved controversial at the Locarno Festival, where it had its premiere and was condemned by several major cinema figures, but was warmly received by younger critics and audiences, becoming a sleeper hit. In 2008, Italy’s Ministry of Culture placed it on its list of 100 films to be saved, a collection of films that had ‘changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.’

Aïnouz had this to say about the remake project: “Marco Bellocchio’s astonishing debut, Fists in the Pocket, was released over 50 years ago and had a huge impact on Italian cinema and storytelling at the time. I’m excited to be collaborating with Efthimis Filippou to revisit this iconic work to create a contemporary parable about the death of the traditional patriarchal family — which I hope will be touching and provocative in equal measure. It’s a dream come true to be working with such a dynamic ensemble of actors that I have long admired to bring this explosive adaptation to audiences today.”

Rosebushpruning is expected to go into production sometime in the spring of 2024. Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing the film for The Match Factory, with MUBI providing financing.

Does Rosebushpruning sound interesting to you? Are you familiar with Fists in the Pocket? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Bellocchio is still directing films to this day. His most recent was the historical drama Kidnapped, which was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival this month.