We have an update on Lynne Ramsay’s next film, “Stone Mattress,” based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name.
Julianne Moore, and Sandra Oh were set to star in the film. We can now add Kyle Chandler’s name to the cast. Moore has also given us an update, via an interview with SMH. She says, if all things go according to planned, and “fingers crossed,” it could start production later this year.
Last we heard about this project, described as a “revenge thriller” set on a cruise ship, Ramsay had mentioned the script was “shaping up very nicely” and that she was scouting locations, apparently looking to shoot in the Arctic. Here’s the synopsis:
Verna (Moore) embarks on a luxurious cruise in the Arctic Northwest Passage. It’s on this cruise ship that she meets two characters, friendly and charming Grace (Oh), and the shy but mysterious Bob, an unaccompanied man in his mid-sixties who inherited a family business.
“It’s quite a difficult film to make, because it’s [set on] a cruise ship in the Arctic, so there’s a lot of elements,” she said. “You can only shoot it in a certain time frame. And…you’ve got to be in the Arctic and bits of the Arctic are melting in specific places. So it’s quite complicated, that film.”
Ramsay describes it as something of a cat-and-mouse game between two women, and that Moore is playing a psychopath, but one that has a clear motive. She adds that the film is darkly comedic and that she wanted to bring a lot of Atwood's dark humour to the story.
Other projects percolating in the mix for Ramsay include “Polaris,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara. There’s also “Die My Love,” which still has Jennifer Lawrence attached to star. However, it looks as though “Stone Mattress” is the current priority.
Ramsay is a major talent. She’s only directed four films during the course of her 24-year career (“Ratcatcher,” “Morvern Callar,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “You Were Never Really Here”).