Ben Wheatley might not be a household name in America just yet, but he’s taking a good crack at it. With his nightmarish thriller Kill Lists cropping up on a number of Best of 2012 lists, Wheatley is poised to become a hot commodity on both sides of the pond.
Today, he has announced his fourth feature, titled A Field in England and fully financed by Film4.
A Field in England is set during the English Civil War and revolves around a group of deserting soldiers who end up in a mushroom field and embark on a “psychedelic trip into magic and madness.”
The full synopsis provides a view of even more weirdness afoot:
“A small group of deserters flee from a raging battle through an overgrown field. They are captured by two men: O’Neil and Cutler. O’Neil (Michael Smiley), an alchemist, forces the group to aid him in his search to find a hidden treasure that he believes is buried in the field. Crossing a vast mushroom circle, which provides their first meal, the group quickly descend into a chaos of arguments, fighting and paranoia, and, as it becomes clear that the treasure might be something other than gold, they slowly become victim to the terrifying energies trapped inside the field.”
So, a psychedelic magic trip with alchemists and paranoia in 17th Century England? Does that sound awesome or what? The answer is yes, yes it does.
A Field in England’s cast list reads like a who’s-who of British film and television, although many of the names might be unfamiliar to a North American audience.
It stars Michael Smiley (Kill List), Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh), Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen), Peter Fernando (Tony), Ryan Pope (The Ideal), and Sightseers star Richard Glober.
Ben Wheatley penned the script along with Amy Jump. She also has credit with him on his next feature Sightseers, already in the can.
After seeing what the director did with Kill List, I cannot wait to see what Wheatley and Co. have in store for our collective cerebral cortex with A Field In England.
As always, we’ll keep you posted as more news on the film arises.