Few directors have rose to prominence in the vein of British filmmaker Ben Wheatley. Having broke onto the scene with Down Terrace before wowing audiences the world over with the dark, eclectic Kill List, the director has earned the right to attract big stars to his projects. And attract he has, for his upcoming period drama High Rise, which recently debuted its first image of Tom Hiddleston’s anti-hero, Dr. Robert Laing, looking rather pensive.
Based on J.G. Ballard’s eponymous novel and a script by Amy Jump, the story unfolds as residents of the titular tower block succumb to their most primal instincts as societal norms begin to crumble all around them. As the building devolves into a den of inequity, its inhabitants are soon at loggerheads with one another without a semblance of security to fall back on.
It’s a fascinating concept, and given its innate, jet-black DNA, we can’t think of a better director to be at the helm. But High Rise has drawn attention for its talent in front of the camera as well, with the likes of Luke Evans, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, and James Purefoy rounding out an impressive, star-studded cast.
Wheatley’s High Rise is doing the rounds at the currently on-going Berlin Film Festival, where it will hope to secure distribution rights. Filming took place in Northern Ireland in the summer of last year, and we expect to learn much more about the director’s next project in the coming months. For now, you can check out the rather stylish poster for the film below.
When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.