Andrew Scott (Spectre), Paul Mescal (Normal People), Claire Foy (The Crown), and Jamie Bell (Snowpiercer) have signed on to star in writer/director Andrew Haigh’s film Strangers, which is said to be loosely based on a novel by Taichi Yamada. Originally published in 1987 under the title Summer of the Strange People and translated into English under the title Strangers in 2004, Yamada’s novel was previously turned into a Japanese film called The Discarnates in 1988.
In Haigh’s Strangers, Scott will be taking on the role of
screenwriter Adam who, one night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, has a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbor Harry (Mescal) that punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As Adam and Harry get closer, Adam is pulled back to his childhood home where he discovers that his long-dead parents (Foy and Bell) are both living and look the same age as the day they died over 30 years ago.
Strangers is coming to us from Searchlight Pictures, Film4, and Blueprint Pictures. Variety lets us know that the film is being produced by Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin for Blueprint, along with Sarah Harvey. Blueprint’s Ben Knight and Diarmuid McKeown are executive producing with Ollie Madden, Daniel Battsek, and Farhana Bhula of Film4. DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas are overseeing for Searchlight, along with Jaya Campbell, Apolline Berty, and Kim Tance.
I haven’t read Yamada’s novel or seen The Discarnates, but the story sounds interesting me – and descriptions of those previous versions assure that things to do in a twisted, horrific direction. Hopefully Haigh is aiming to creep us out with his take on the concept as well.
Haigh has previously directed the films Greek Pete, Weekend, 45 Years, and Lean on Pete, and episodes of Looking, The OA, and The North Water.
How does Strangers sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.