Dee Rees has lined up her next project before her latest has even hit theaters. Since its debut at Sundance, “Mudbound” has been earning rave reviews and causing plenty of Oscar buzz. Rees will follow up the epic story of family, friendship, and racism in the post-WWII South with a film adaptation of a Joan Didion’s 1996 best-seller “The Last Thing He Wanted.” Deadline reports that she’ll helm the political thriller, which follows a Washington Post journalist who becomes involved in the world of arms dealing.
Marco Villalobos is penning the script.
Rees made her feature debut with 2011’s “Pariah,” a semi-autobiographical drama centering on a Brooklyn-based lesbian teen exploring her sexuality and coming-of-age. Rees won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Gotham for Best Breakthrough Director for the film, and followed it up with Emmy winner “Bessie,” an HBO TV movie starring Queen Latifah as blues performer Bessie Smith.
“Mudbound” scored the biggest deal out of Sundance, with Netflix paying $12.5 million for the ensemble drama. Set in rural Mississippi, the story follows two young men, one black and one white, as they return from WWII to work on a farm. The cast includes Garrett Hedlund (“Unbroken”), Jason Mitchell (“Detroit”), Carey Mulligan (“Suffragette”), and Mary J. Blige (“The Wiz Live!”). Many are speculating that the film could earn awards recognition, including nods for Rees as co-writer and director. “Mudbound” will launch on Netflix and select theaters November 17.
