With an Oscar in hand for Darkest Hour, Gary Oldman is parlaying a little of that lustre to set up his new directorial job, only the second in his career. And in addition to calling thr shots, he'll also star in Flying Horse.
Not apparently a movie about him hanging around with a pegasus, Oldman's new script will focus on the fascinating story of photographer Eadweard Muybridge, one of the people who laid the groundwork for motion pictures. And the film will focus on a darker chapter of his life: in 1872, Muybridge was working as a successful photographer, when he was contracted by the former governor of California to capture a horse in motion. And then, his life exploded, when he discovered his wife Flora was having an affair with the dapper critic Major Harry Larkyns. Muybridge’s story turns to one of revenge, murder, and the search for justice. He killed his wife’s lover, and then was acquitted on grounds of justifiable homicide.
Oldman has been trying to get this one to screens for a while, and has now hatched a deal with producer Tucker Tooley, who has rounded up the financing. Oldman is also in talks to appear in Steven Soderbergh's latest, Panama Papers drama The Laundromat, news of which broke earlier this week.
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