Some very positive indie news: Whit Stillman has started shooting his first film in a decade, in Ireland.
According to The Irish Examiner, Stillman's "A Night at Claridge's," his first feature since 2016's "Love & Friendship," began production in Limerick this week and is scheduled to wrap in mid-December.
The film reunites Stillman with Adam Brody and stars Laura Carmichael in the lead role, alongside Tom Bennett and Susan Hampshire.
Adapted from Patrick Hamilton's novel "The Slaves of Solitude," the film marks new territory for Stillman, who is known for his quick-witted social comedies. This is a wartime drama filled with psychological tension, though it seems likely to keep the filmmaker's fascination with social dynamics.
Set in autumn 1943 in southern England during the lead-up to D-Day, the story follows Miss Roach, a displaced publisher's reader who moves into a boarding house after being bombed out of London. There, she befriends a German woman named Vicki but faces constant harassment from a cruel fellow resident, while the arrival of an easygoing American officer complicates relationships and sparks a tense psychological conflict.
Stillman, 74, has directed only five features in his 36-year filmmaking career: "Metropolitan," "Barcelona," "The Last Days of Disco," "Damsels in Distress," and "Love & Friendship."
His career has unfolded at a deliberately unhurried pace. Even so, he has developed a truly unique voice, one that has been immensely influential on superfans Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, and Wes Anderson, particularly in their highly literary, dialogue-driven social comedies.
No distributor has attached itself to the project just yet, but here’s hoping we get to see this one in 2027.
According to The Irish Examiner, Stillman's "A Night at Claridge's," his first feature since 2016's "Love & Friendship," began production in Limerick this week and is scheduled to wrap in mid-December.