Colin Firth and Emily Blunt team up for dark comedy

Academy Award (and nearly every other award) winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) is joining forces with Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau, The Devil Wears Prada) for a currently untitled dark comedy about two people who try to reinvent themselves. The film tells the story of how they flee their pasts by breaking into empty houses and assuming the identities of the absent owners, falling in love with each other over the course of their misadventures.

The film is based on a screenplay by Becky Johnston and will be the feature directorial debut for successful commercials director Dante Ariola, who has worked with big brands including Coca-Cola, Adidas, Nike, Lexus and Volkswagen.

Vertebra Films is the financier for the film and Becky Johnston will also produce it, alongside Brian Oliver and Alisa Tager of Cross Creek Pictures. Focus Features International (Atonement, Brokeback Mountain) are currently promoting it to distributors during Cannes, with filming expected to start in the autumn.

Emma Hutchings