Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne are in advanced talks to star in The Good Nurse, a thriller based on the book by Charles Graeber that chronicled the pursuit and capture of Charlie Cullen, a nurse who is regarded as one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
Now known as the Angel of Death, Cullen may be responsible for over 400 deaths. Although known to be a responsible employee, Cullen had a compulsion to kill and killed hundreds across nine hospitals throughout his decades-long career. Redmayne is in line to play Cullen, with Chastain playing a nurse who worked alongside him and aided in his capture alongside two Newark homicide detectives.
The adaptation will be penned by Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Penny Dreadful), with director Tobias Lindholm (A Hijacking) set to make his English-language feature debut.
For Redmayne, it’s a step away from the kind of roles he’s taken on recently, which include an Oscar-winning turn as Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything as well as playing protagonist Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
For Chastain, it’s the latest role in a darker-toned film that she’s taken on recently, after being cast as the adult Beverly in IT: Chapter Two and signing on to lead the female spy thriller 355.
Pairing Chastain and Redmayne with Lindholm, whose Danish films have a detached, voyeuristic quality to them, and with Wilson-Cairns, who has been behind some of the best Penny Dreadful episodes and also co-authored the script for the much-hyped Sam Mendes WWI movie 1917, could be a recipe for something really special.
Serial killer-themed films aren’t quite the popular ‘genre’ they were back in the 90s, but with true crime series and books revolving around them remaining very popular, perhaps they’re due for a comeback. The Good Nurse could be the first to reignite the genre.
#Peace.Love.TheGoodNurse
