As reported by Deadline, Ford has assembled an incredible list of talent for his third feature film which will reunite him with past collaborators including Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Colin Firth, along with introducing acclaimed singer-songwriter Adele in her feature film debut and will also see the likes of Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany, Owen Cooper, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Hunter Schafer, Josephine Thiesen, Thandiwe Newton, Theodore Pellerin, Daryl McCormack, Cassian Bilton, Hauk Hannemann and Lux Pascal joining the production.

Adapting Rice’s 1982 novel of music, ambition, love and opera, Cry to Heaven follows the paths of two unlikely collaborators: a Venetian noble and a castrated singer from Calabria, both trying to succeed in the world of the opera.

With its themes of adolescence, beauty, desire, identity, art and religion, it’s a perfect canvas for Ford to once again create upon, and given his mastery over the art of opulence and beauty, we can only imagine what he’ll bring to the screen with this incredible new adaptation.

While details are still light on when a possible release date will arrive Ford has been eyeing this project as his next film since last year but wanted to make sure the right cast was in place before setting a start date. As for financing, Ford had been talking to several studios but ultimately decided to self-finance the film and shoot on his own terms, with plans to take it out to market after production has ended.

We’re salivating with anticipation as to what will arrive with Cry to Heaven, and given Ford’s masterful control over the art of beauty, we excited to see how this picture will develop from here.

Image: Focus Features

The post Tom Ford moves forward with casting announcements for ‘Cry to Heaven’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Having met with Rice personally before her death in 2021, the canvas of one of Rice’s only standalone novels is set to in the exotic, and empassioned world of 18th-century Italian Opera and follow’s a beautiful and youful castrati singer, who is soon entangled in a world of noble intrigues, artistic rivalries, complex loves set within opulent Venetian courts and Neapolitan theaters.

With its themes of adolescence, beauty, desire, identity, art and religion, it’s a perfect canvas for Ford to once again create upon, and given his mastery over the art of opulence and beauty, we can only imagine what he’ll bring to the screen with this incredible new adaptation.

As with his previous films, A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals, Ford will again act as writer and director, and with the film’s varied content of drama, violence, romance and strikingly vivid sexuality, it’s a canvas that will be a true work of art.

Filming will commence in 2026 and will be filmed in Rome, with locations likely to include the legendary Cinecittà Studios, along with Venice and Naples.

The prospect of seeing Tom Ford behind the camera once more is an exciting and exhilarating proposition, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with details surrounding Cry To Heaven, including when we can finally get a first look at what Ford’s new creative energies have conjured.

Source: NSSMag

Image: Universal Pictures

The post Tom Ford stepping back behind the camera with adaptation of ‘Cry To Heaven’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

While his first film, A Single Man, featured a narrative built entirely around the interior thoughts of his lead character, Nocturnal Animals instead utilises two different narratives to explore some very unsettling ideas and themes.

Taking the lead is Amy Adams as Susan Marrow, a wealthy art dealer who is beginning to see the cracks in her perfectly decadent world. While it is hard to go into to much detail about Susan’s role in the film without going into spoiler territory, Adams’ performance is certainly engrossing. Much of her performance revolves around the unsettling choices that her character has made in her life, and Adams does everything in her power to make you dislike Susan.

While the leading lady brings a haunting quality to her performance, it is Jake Gyllenhaal in the dual role of Edward Sheffield and his literary character Tony Hastings, who really steals the film. Audience members may be used to seeing Gyllenhaal portray empowering, strong-willed characters, but here he goes in the opposite direction. The characters of Edward and Tony are both weak-willed, world-weary men who cannot deal with the pressures or hardships of the worlds they inhabit. Nocturnal Animals was certainly a risky choice for Gyllenhaal, but it is one that has tremendously paid off.

Terrific support is also provided by Michael Shannon as tough-as-nails detective Bobby Andes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as skeevy criminal Ray Marcus. Shannon has always been one to intimidate his audience, but he takes it to another level as Andes. This gruff Texas lawman has no time for procedure in his pursuit of justice, and his methodology could almost be considered criminal. As Andes he’s willing to cross any line to find justice for Tony, and this takes the pair of them into some very dark places. Taylor-Johnson, on the other hand, is an utter loose canon as the violently unpredictable Marcus. He throws away any kind of class as this white trash thug, and his interactions and tormenting of Gyllenhaal’s Tony is a terrifying experience.

While Nocturnal Animals is a genuinely unsettling film to watch, Ford’s fearlessness to present his subject matter in all its unpleasantness is a testament to his talents as a director. As a filmmaker he effortlessly captures and juxtaposes the isolation and coldness of Susan’s L.A. lifestyle with that of the rough edges of the haunting West Texas landscape that is presented in Edward’s manuscript. Both worlds are captured with flawless cinematography by Seamus McGarvey (Atonement, Fifty Shades of Grey), and composer Abel Korzeniowski’s melodic yet frightening score certainly keeps you on edge.

Image source: Paramount Pictures

The post ‘Nocturnal Animals’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Here’s the synopsis:

Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

The new trailer focuses more on the relationship between Adams’ Susan Morrow and the love that developed between her and her future husband Edward Sheffield (Gyllenhaal). But their love was not to last, and in its wake Edward left Susan with his violent manuscript, Nocturnal Animal, which she believes is a symbolic threat upon her life.

Advance praise has been levelled on Amy Adams for her performance as the film’s central character, and there’s even a bit of buzz that she could see an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

Nocturnal Animals will be released on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

The post Tom Ford promises an emotional rollercoaster with ‘Nocturnal Animals’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

Nocturnal Animals is not for the faint of heart with its dark themes of obsession, narcissism, and violence. Adams has never looked better as Susan, whose life of high-end luxury begins to unravel as she digs deeper into her ex-husband’s lost work. Juxtaposed with Adams is Gyllenhaal, who has taken on two roles as Edward Sheffield and Tony Hastings, which is sure to draw out the Oscar nominee’s darker side.

A collection of world-class talent rounds out the supporting cast, including Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Isla Fisher, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Director Tom Ford appears to have created a film that will burn itself into the memory of audiences with a compelling story and stunning cinematography. Not only is Ford responsible for one of the most beautiful films ever shot with 2009’s A Single Man, but with Nocturnal Animals, he also appears to be examining our collective culture’s obsession with celebrity and fame, and the darker implications of this fault.

Nocturnal Animals has already won praise for Amy Adams’ gripping performance, while Ford took home the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Expect to see it in theatres on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

The post Tom Ford spins a dangerous tale in ‘Nocturnal Animals’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.