Apparently destined to forever star in films with numbers in the title after his work in Fifty Shades Of Grey, Jamie Dornan is leaning into his tragic destiny by taking on a lead role in The Ninth Life Of Louis Drax.
Okay, okay, so it’s just a coincidence – and Dornan is already at work on John Wells’ new culinary film, which doesn’t have a title but probably won’t end up with a numerical one – and this has an interesting history. Actor Max Minghella wrote the script, adapting Liz Jensen’s novel, and is carrying on a project that his father, director Anthony Minghella, had wanted to make for years before his death in 2008.
The plot follows the titular 9-year-old boy, who suffers a near-fatal accident on his birthday. When a doctor (Dornan) starts treating the lad, he discovers a mystery that snaps the boundaries between reality and fantasy.
Alexandre Aja is on board to direct, and Minghella, who will produce with Tim Bricknell, is enthusiastic about the prospect.
“Tim and I are thrilled this deeply personal project is being brought to fruition with passion and integrity,” he says in a statement picked up by Variety. “We look forward to collaborating with Alex and Miramax to create a truly original movie that will captivate and surprise audiences.”
Aja should be starting the cameras rolling this October in Vancouver. Dornan will soon be seen whipping matters into a frenzy in 50 Shades, which is out here on February 13 next year, and will soon appear in season two of The Fall on TV this autumn.