Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn have signed on to star in The Marsh King’s Daughter, a psychological thriller being helmed by Neil Burger (Limitless).
The film is based on Karen Dionne‘s popular novel of the same name, with Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) writing the screenplay. Black Bear Pictures will fully finance the project.
Mendelsohn will play Jacob Holbrook, the infamous ‘Marsh King’ who years ago kept his young daughter, Helena (played by Ridley), and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. Having spent a lifetime trying to escape her past, the now grown Helena is forced to face her demons when her father unexpectedly returns.
Ridley and Mendelsohn have each appeared in recent Star Wars movies, but not together. Ridley was obviously the star of the Skywalker Saga, while Mendelsohn had a key role in Rogue One.
Ridley has pretty much been consumed by Star Wars for her entire career, so it makes sense that she’s seeking anything away from a massive franchise.
While Chaos Walking was a bit of a production disaster, an adaptation of a popular thriller is a smart choice for her young career. She couldn’t find a better co-star in Mendelsohn either, who always brings the goods, especially in villainous roles.
Principal photography is due to begin next month in Canada. Although Black Bear is financing the movie, the project falls under the output and distribution deal between Black Bear and STXinternational, so STXfilms will handle the U.S. rights.
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