Good news for those who couldn't get enough of Tom Blyth and his cornflower blue peacekeeper uniform in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Expect to see more of the actor fitted out in military garb, since his next role in is an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's great war novel, A Farewell to Arms. Everything you need to know about the forthcoming film, below.
First, what is A Farewell to Arms about?
Published in 1929, the novel is loosely based off of Hemingway's own experience as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian Army on the Isonzo Front. It follows protagonist Frederic Henry, an ambulance driver who is injured in WWI and ends up falling in love with his English nurse. As far as war novels go, A Farewell to Arms is a strong contender for the top spot, dealing with the brutalities of life on the front, loss, love, and for the history buff, insight into the disastrous Battle of Caporetto.
Who is involved?
As mentioned, Tom Blyth has been cast in the lead role of Frederic Henry, although it's not yet clear who will play his lover Catherine Barkley. Meanwhile, the film will be directed by Michael Winterbottom who's back catalogues include Welcome to Sarajevo and Bright Young Things. The adaptation has also received the full blessing of the Hemingway Estate.
Speaking about the project, Winterbottom said, "Hemingway believed in paring a story down to the bare bones. He argued that a novel could be like an iceberg: the reader only sees the tip above the water but feels the bulk and weight of what lies below the surface," he explains. "I want our film to be true to Hemingway’s approach – immediate, raw and natural – and I think in Tom Blyth we have found the perfect person to be Frederic Henry.”
Is there a release date?
Not yet. Since shooting for the film is said to begin in Italy sometime next year, we expect the film will premiere in 2025.
Image: @tomblyth
