Chris Nolan's WWII Film DUNKIRK Confirmed; Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Mark Rylance in Talks

Earlier this morning, Joey wrote a piece speculating about how Christopher Nolan's next film might be a World War II drama, and now Variety has confirmed that report and provided a little more information about it.

The movie is called Dunkirk, and Nolan wrote the original screenplay himself. The story is inspired by Operation Dynamo, a 1940 mission that freed over 300,000 Allied troops who were trapped in the French city of Dunkirk by the Nazis. Nolan's wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, will produce, and Warner Bros. will release the film, which is already scheduled to hit theaters on July 21st, 2017.

Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Bridge of Spies breakout Mark Rylance are in talks to join the ensemble cast, which will reportedly be led by unknown, yet-to-be-hired actors. Production starts in May, and Nolan will be using a "combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large format film photography" to apply his signature larger-than-life visual style. 

"We are thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Christopher Nolan, a singular filmmaker who has created some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of all time," said Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production. "Dunkirk is a gripping and powerful story and we are excited to see Chris, Emma and their cast realize it on the big screen."

After the Dark Knight trilogy and a few sci-fi (or sci-fi tinged) projects like The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar over the past few years, it'll be cool to see Nolan direct a period piece war movie. I'm guessing some fans are already hoping this will keep his perceived streak alive.