Amblin Partners has signed New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro, director of Disney’s upcoming live-action Mulan, to direct Beautiful Ruins, the movie adaptation of Jess Walter’s romance novel.
In February, Amblin announced they were reteaming with Neal Street Productions to make the film after their collaboration on 1917, which won three Oscars and to date has earned $375 million at the worldwide box office.
Caro won a DGA award for her work on Netflix’s Anne with an E and her earlier movie credits include the 2002 breakthrough drama Whale Rider and the Charlize Theron-starrer North Country.
Beautiful Ruins begins in an Italian seaside village in 1962, where a young Italian man runs a hotel with no guests, until one day an American starlet, fresh from the set of Cleopatra, appears and captures his heart. Five decades later in modern-day Hollywood, a jaded assistant to a once-powerhouse producer gets caught up in the magic of the Italian lover’s story, leading her to find a happy ending.
The movie adaptation will be done by Mark Hammer and Chiara Atik from an earlier draft by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Neal Street’s Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes and Julie Pastor will produce, with Nicolas Brown executive producing.
Amblin Partners’ president of production Jeb Brody, will oversee the project for the studio, along with Mia Maniscalco, vp of creative Affairs.
Caro is repped by UTA.
