With City Of God and The Constant Gardener under his belt already, Fernando Meirelles has rapidly established himself as one of the best directors around. So, when news breaks of a new project for the soft-spoken Brazilian director, it’s a glorious prospect.
That project, it was announced today, is Blindness, based on the acclaimed novel by Jose Saramago, about a sudden epidemic of, well, blindness that strikes an unnamed city and pushes society to the brink of disaster.
It’s already an intriguing premise – Day Of The Triffids without, presumably, any evil plants – and Meirelles has reinforced its must-see credentials by targeting Daniel Craig (who’s building a heck of a career for himself outside the Bond movies) and Julianne Moore, who we last saw in the superficially similar Children Of Men, to star.
By casting stars who are great actors first and foremost, Meirelles is continuing the trend he established with The Constant Gardener, where he directed Ralph Fiennes to a career-best turn and Rachel Weisz to an Oscar. So we’re hopeful that this will be a serious and thoughtful drama-cum-thriller, but almost certain that it will boast two great central performances once Craig and Moore have signed on the line that is dotted (they’re both in talks/negotiations at the moment).
The movie, which is backed by Focus Features International, has been written by Canadian film-maker Don McKellar, whose cult classic Last Night dealt with similar themes. McKellar will also play a role in the movie.