Fremantle, Revolution Films (Shoshana, A Mighty Heart, 24 Hour Party People) and Passenger (True Detective, Outlaw King, Catch-22) have today announced a new film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel A Farewell to Arms, starring Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Billy the Kid).
The film, which is set to start shooting in Italy later next year will be written and directed by Revolution Films’ Michael Winterbottom and see Blyth play the title role of volunteer ambulance driver Frederic Henry, who is wounded and falls in love with his nurse in Italy during the First World War.
Published in 1929, A Farewell to Arms is considered one of the greatest war novels of the twentieth century and was a huge success around the world making American writer Ernest Hemingway a household name. Closely based on Hemingway’s own experience as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian Army on the Isonzo Front, A Farewell to Arms is an uncompromising and dramatic love story that gives an unflinching and unforgettable account of war.
The film will be produced by Melissa Parmenter for Revolution Films, with Michael Winterbottom (Revolution Films) and Richard Brown (Passenger) serving as Executive Producers. The film is being made with support from Hemingway’s Estate, in a deal brokered by Fremantle’s Raffaella De Angelis.
Revolution Films’ Michael 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. 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.
Tom Blyth said: “As a long-time fan of Hemingway’s writing and Michael Winterbottom’s filmmaking, this is a dream project. Michael has adapted the book perfectly, with a script that captures all of the author’s unique nuance and precision. The examination of the human cost of conflict, and of love and hope trying to thrive within it, resonates more than ever. I can’t think of a better filmmaking team than Michael and Melissa to tell this story, and I’m truly thrilled to be bringing Frederic to life on screen for a contemporary audience.”
The Hemingway Estate (Brendan Hemingway, Patrick Hemingway Adams, Angela Hemingway Charles) said: “The family of Ernest Hemingway is thrilled to see A Farewell to Arms reimagined for a new age. Given the chaotic state of the world, it’s hard to think of a better moment to reintroduce his seminal story of love and the devastating effects of war. We deeply appreciate the passion and depth of understanding exhibited by Winterbottom and his team. They are surely the right people to breathe new life into Hemingway’s vision, and at a time when we, tragically, need it most.”
