Making a great film about a great person can strangely be a difficult task to pull off. The historical importance of the person doesn’t really matter, it mostly just relies on how the filmmaker decides to tell that person’s story. One of the better biopics of recent years is Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which not only featured a mesmerizing performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, it also only told a short part of the president’s life instead of giving us his entire story. Because of masterful films like that one, more and more have recently been using that same technique, including the currently untitled biopic of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne. Unless you’re a devoted fan of the delightful character, you probably don’t know a whole lot about him. And hopefully, this exciting project will enlighten us about the true genius that he truly was.
For every great character, you also need a talented performer to match it. Milne is being played by the versatile Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), with the wonderful Margot Robbie starring as his wife, Dorothy “Daphne” de Sélincourt. Those two stars by themselves should be enough to get many excited, but the film’s story is another element that could make this biopic that much more superb. It will tell the heartfelt tale of Milne’s relationship with his son, whose toys inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh character.
With all of the talent and obvious heart being put into the film, it easily could turn into an amazing biopic. Even though the project isn’t scheduled to hit until 2017, the first images of the film (via Collider) have been released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. They feature Robbie and Gleeson together, both looking spectacular in their 1920s apparel. Besides the couple, we also get a look at Milne’s son, Christopher Robin. Take a look at the beautiful stills below.
Besides this summer’s The Legend of Tarzan, the Milne biopic will be one of Robbie’s first real dives into a period setting. She’s already shown her diverse talent in a variety of films, ranging from the wild Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad to her self-sustaining survivor character in the relatively unknown drama, Z For Zachariah. And even by the first images of the upcoming biopic, the actress seems to fit perfectly into the era. She seems like she will pair well with Gleeson, who has already appeared in many acclaimed period films in the past. Not only that, the film’s director is Simon Curtis, known best for the delightful My Week with Marilyn.
While Curtis is not a very very prolific director, he’s still quite adept at telling an intimate story. My Week with Marilyn seems to have been forgotten, despite it being a magnificent biopic. And with a film like that under his belt, the Milne biopic should make him feel right at home. A good technique that he will hopefully continue to utilize is focusing on the characters themselves, rather than simply giving us information about Milne. My Week with Marilyn gave us a fascinating yet tragic look into the real person of Marilyn Monroe, so it would be nice to see that done with the Milne family members as well.
The most current synopsis from the biopic:
The UNTITLED A.A. MILNE film gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne (Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?
The Milne biopic is currently scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2017.