Sofia Coppola to direct Civil War drama Beguiled

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

You know what, I really like Sophia Coppola's films. Admittedly, I have not seen her entire canon, but I really enjoyed THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, LOST IN TRANSLATION, and SOMEWHERE. I believe that when her films work, they have a beautiful, lyrical style that is captivating. They can sometimes be light on plot, but are usually, in my opinion, made up for in mood and atmosphere.

This is all to say that I'm looking forward to whatever her next film might be, which happens to be the period piece BEGUILED. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Thomas Cullinan, BEGUILED takes place in a girl's school in Virginia in 1864. Here's the synopsis:

 As the Civil War rages, The Miss Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies has been sheltered from the outside world— until the day a wounded Union soldier is discovered nearby and taken in.

I'm definitely interested in seeing Coppola's take on the story, especially since she directed another period piece, the lavish MARIE ANTOINETTE biopic with Kirsten Dunst (with an admittedly mixed response). So we can be rest assured that the period details will be reproduced faithfully (and beautifully), but we'll see if she'll mix modern music in the period setting again or not (though it's doubtful she will). Either way, I'm intrigued. 

BEGUILED, starring Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Elle Fanning, will open in select cities June 23rd, 2017, with an expansion on July 30th.