Filmmaker Gus Van Sant, greatest identified for Oscar winners “Good Will Looking” and “Milk,” has come on board to again psychosexual thriller “Antinous,” a modern-day drama impressed by the life and dying of Antinous, the homosexual lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Visible artist Stuart Sandford wrote and can direct the movie, which shall be his characteristic movie debut.
“Antinous” tells the story of a present-day younger actor, who turns into satisfied he’s the reincarnation of Antinous, sparking a psychosexual drama that bridges the grandeur of historical Rome with Hollywood’s obsession with youth, magnificence and immortality.
Van Sant mentioned: “I’m excited to see Stuart Sandford, an incredible photographer and sculptor, create a good looking movie impressed by the historic relationship between Hadrian and Antinous.”
“Antinous has been on my thoughts for greater than a decade, and his story is one which few individuals find out about,” Sandford mentioned. “As an artist, my work brings collectively concepts from classical antiquity into a recent context. This movie takes that idea and expands it significantly. It’s a mirrored image of putting up with struggles with id, want, sexuality, obsession, fame, energy and societal expectations—themes simply as related right this moment as they had been in antiquity. Antinous’ story takes on profound significance. His life reminds us of the concern and vulnerability that comes with residing authentically underneath oppressive techniques.”
The venture is produced by Dreamtown’s Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant,” “The Wheels of Heaven”), and Kirsty Bell (“A Chicken Flew In,” “Don’t Overlook Me”), and is govt produced by Phil McKenzie (“Ronnies”).
Filming is scheduled to start within the second quarter of this 12 months, with places spanning London, Los Angeles and Greece, in co-production with the manufacturing firm and movie financier Goldfinch Leisure.
“It is a story that has remained within the shadows for a lot too lengthy—a younger man whose life and dying have rippled by means of historical past in artwork, literature and legend, but stays largely unknown,” Edwards mentioned. “Antinous’ story isn’t just historical past, it’s a mirrored image of putting up with struggles with id, want and societal expectations—themes as related right this moment as they had been in antiquity.”
Dreamtown’s latest initiatives embody “Video Killed the Radio Star,” starring Harriet Cains and Luke Brandon Area, and “The Wheels of Heaven,” starring Mickey Rourke and Geoff Bell.