He may have missed out on the coveted top prize at last night’s Oscar’s but hot property, Yorgos Lanthimos, has lined up his next project already, an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s 1964 crime novel ‘Pop. 1280’.
Lanthimos will write and direct the picture which tells the story of a sheriff in a town with a population of 1280 people who presents himself as a simplistic, harmless fool, but in actuality is a manipulative psychopath and serial killer who preys on the worst impulses of the small town folk.
Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney of Element Pictures, Lanthimos, Ryan Friedkin of Imperative Entertainment and John Alan Simon of Discovery Productions will produce. Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas of Imperative Entertainment, Micah Green and Dan Steinman of 30WEST, Elizabeth Karr of Discovery Productions, Ilene Feldman, and Jon Levin will be executive producers.
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This isn’t the first time one of Thompson’s novels has been adapted for the big screen. ‘The Getaways,’ ‘The Grifters’ and ‘The Killer Inside Me’ have all had the silver screen treatment over the years. Thompson even collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on ‘The Killing’, and ‘Paths of Glory’ so he is no stranger to the game.
Having directed Dogtooth in 2009, Lanthimos made his big breakthrough in 2015 with ‘The Lobster’ in which he teamed up with Colin Farrell and Olivia Colman as cast members. He quickly followed up the critically acclaimed picture with ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ in which Farrell once again starred with Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan. His latest, comedy ‘The Favourite’ once again saw Olivia Colman work with the Greek director with an all-female leading cast that includes Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. The film walked away with numerous awards this award season.
