Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” earned nine Oscar noms, won four categories, including Best International Film. His follow-up, “Conclave,” earned eight Oscar nominations, and won Best Adapted Screenplay. Both films were Best Picture nominated.
Berger has a new film in the can, rumored to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It’s called “The Ballad of a Small Player," and stars Colin Farrell. Based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel, Rowan Joffe adapted it into a screenplay. Here’s the synopsis:
The story follows a high-stakes gambler who decides to lay low in Macau after his past and debts catch up with him. Along the way he encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
We now have our first images of the film. They can be seen below. Is a trailer incoming?
Joining Farrell in the cast are Tilda Swinton, Fala Chen, Deannie Yip, and Alex Jennings. Netflix recently confirmed a theatrical roll-out, ahead of streaming, dating the film for a limited two-week engagement on October 15.
Sadly, Stéphane Fontaine, who did visual miracles on ‘Conclave,” isn’t lensing this one. Instead, Berger has tasked his Oscar-winning ‘Western Front’ DP James Friend for the job.
Before he became one of Hollywood’s hottest directors, sought out for IP such as Bond, Ocean’s 11, and Bourne, Berger’s career had been defined by a quieter, more intimate slate of projects. In 2019, he helmed “All My Loving,” a modest German drama that slipped under most radars. His other works included “Jack” (2014) and “A Good Summer” (2012), a little-seen TV movie
