William Oldroyd, who won acclaim for his feature debutLady Macbeth, has come on to direct the crime thrillerBody Crossfor Focus Features, which had been developing the project as a potential sequel toEastern Promises, Collider has confirmed.
Steven Knightwrote the script years ago, and Focus execs have been high on it ever since, but since script stalled out as a sequel toEastern Promises, the studio decided to use it to tell an original story. Once slated to return,Viggo MortensenandVincent Casselare no longer expected to be involved, andBody Crosswill serve as a standalone crime movie. The project has already been updated to reflect this shift on IMDb Pro, which no longer listsEastern Promises 2among Knight’s development projects.
According to Screen Daily, which broke the news,Body Crossis described a mafia tale about two immigrant brothers living in London. Collider’s sources indicate the script follows a Russian agent who rises to become a London mafia boss' trusted lieutenant and is soon instructed to assassinate one of his fellow countrymen. As far as I know, Mortensen’s character of Nikolai has been written out of the script, or at least renamed ‘Gregory.’
“I can say the script for the second one is much better that the first. Honestly, it’s one of the things I’ve written that I most like and it’s driving me mad … so I’ve got to get it made," Knight toldIndieWireback in 2014. The screenwriter’s confidence is certainly encouraging, especially for such a long-delayed project.
Paul Websteris producingBody Crossfor Shoebox Films and production could begin as soon as February. Webster is one of England’s top producers, having worked withJoe WrightonPride and Prejudice,AtonementandAnna Karenina, as well as Knight’s acclaimed 2013 dramaLockestarringTom Hardy, and the upcomingMarie CuriemovieRadioactivestarringRosamund Pike.
Knight’s recent screenwriting credits includePawn Sacrifice,Burnt,Allied,November Criminals,Woman Walks Aheadand the upcoming Lisbeth Salander thrillerThe Girl In the Spider’s Web. He also createdPeaky Blindersand the FX seriesTaboostarring Hardy. Up next for Knight isSerenity, the indie thriller starringMatthew McConaughey,Anne HathawayandJason Clarke.
Oldroyd directed several short films before graduating to features withLady Macbeth, which made a star out ofFlorence Pugh, who booked subsequent roles inOutlaw King,Dwayne Johnson’sFighting With My Family,Ari Aster’sMidsommer,Greta Gerwig’sLittle Womenand the upcoming AMC limited seriesThe Little Drummer Girl, which really illustrates the impact that Oldroyd’s film has had on her career. He’s represented by WME and United Agents. Check out the trailer forLady Macbethbelow.
