Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan will appear onscreen together for the first time in WILDLIFE, the upcoming directorial debut from actor Paul Dano.
Dano, who may be well known to our UK readers for playing Pierre Bezukhov in BBC One’s adaptation of WAR AND PEACE, has already worked with Jake Gyllenhaal before in PRISONERS alongside Hugh Jackman in the Denis Villeneuve directed movie.
He has also recently worked with him earlier this year in Joon-Ho Bong’s OKJA, which is scheduled for release early next year.
This will mark Dano’s first foray into directing for the big screen, which he announced back in June and now it seems he has bagged himself the perfect cast. The movie is based on Richard Ford’s novel, WILDLIFE. It is a family drama centred on a boy whose parents’ marriage falls apart after his mother finds another man. It hasn’t been confirmed what roles Gyllenhaal and Mulligan will play.
“In Richard’s book I saw myself and many others. I have always wanted to make films – and have always known I would make films about family,” Dano said in a statement. “I couldn’t be happier to have such beautiful collaborators like Carey and Jake leading the way.”
Dano co-wrote the screenplay for Wildlife with his partner Zoe Kazan, who wrote the 2012 romantic comedy RUBY SPARKS, in which both she and Dano starred. WILDLIFE is Dano’s first script.
Gyllenhaal can next be seen on the big screen in Tom Ford’s thriller NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, was recently screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals and garnered get reviews. Mulligan has recently finished production on the Mississippi Delta-set period drama MUDBOUND, opposite Jason Clarke and Garrett Hedlund.
