Bill Nighy, Matt Smith and Others Confirmed to Be Involved With the Film Adaptation of &Sons

A book adaptation is always cause for curiosity and the announcement of the players involved in & Sons is no exception. According to a Collider.com article, It began as a 2014 novel by David Gilbert and is slated to be part of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.  This story of an aging novelist and his estranged sons is already something that piques interest, but the adaptation’s creative team is worth celebrating.

What We Know About &Sons' Creative Team

First is Argentine director Pablo Trapero. This is to be his first English language directorial effort, but he is no newcomer to the genre of family drama. He is acclaimed for his work on 2015’s The Clan, which tells the true story of a crime family. It is exciting to see someone proficient in the depiction of complex family dynamics helm a project of this kind.

Perhaps the most promising news so far  about this upcoming  production is that the script will be penned by Sarah Polley. This screenwriter has an academy award to her name and it is for a Best Adapted Screenplay. After her success with Women Talking, it is good to see her signed on for this movie.

What we know about &Sons' Actors

A.N. Dyer, the patriarch in this story, is convinced that his life is swiftly drawing to its close. Considered to be both curmudgeonly and “all mortal coil,” this role is likely to be filled by Bill Nighy, whose involvement in the  has been confirmed. One can look back to his roles in Love, Actually or Harry Potter to see his curmudgeon side on display, though he also has some history with a more demanding approach to the emotional scale.

One of Nighy’s less stern roles was in a Doctor Who episode (“Vincent and the Doctor”) alongside cast member Matt Smith. Smith has been cast in family dramas since his time as the 11th Doctor. He excelled as the Duke of Edinburgh in The Crown, but also played the ruthless and ambitious Daemon Targaryen in The House of the Dragon.

Noah Jupe has been involved in the horror franchise A Quiet Place as the eldest son in the Abbott family. His most recent credit is as Temple Franklin in the historical drama Franklin. It will be interesting to see his interplay with the other Dyers. 

The last of the casting announcements is George McKay. Among his many credits ranging from the whimsical Peter Pan to the science-fiction The Beast is his role in 1917. In that award-winning picture, he plays one of two soldiers tasked with crossing enemy territory to deliver a message vital to the war effort. He clearly has strength in tense and emotional roles.

News will be updated as more is known, but & Sons is certainly off to a promising start.