Over the last few years Ben Wheatley has been a prolific force of British filmmaking – by the time his films hit the cinema, his next one is usually in the can. But since Free Fire arrived in 2016, only a year after High-Rise, things have been a little quieter in Camp Wheatley – until earlier this year, when the director quietly revealed on Instagram that he was mid-shoot on a project seemingly titled ‘Colin You Anus’. The film is now finished, with its world premiere coming at the BFI London Film Festival 2018 – and that means some more official details have been unveiled.
For one thing, it’s not called Colin You Anus, instead plumping for the more conservative title Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. Thanks to its festival listing, it also has a brief synopsis – and it seems like Wheatley will be back in more overtly comic territory, as he was in 2012’s Sightseers. The film is described as: “A poignantly funny and razor-sharp observation of English family dysfunction. Colin has rented a stately country home for his extended family’s New Year celebrations. He’s the centre of attention until his estranged brother David unexpectedly arrives, throwing the family dynamic far off orbit.” The film stars Neil Maskell in the title role, with the cast also including the likes of Sam Riley, Hayley Squires and Charles Dance.
Elsewhere details on Wheatley’s latest are thin on the ground – but with the LFF only a matter of weeks away, it won’t be long until word is out on the filmmaker’s latest offering.
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