Gary Oldman To Star In, Direct, Write ‘Flying Horse’ For Tooley Entertainment
Gary Oldman To Star In, Direct, Write ‘Flying Horse’ For Tooley Entertainment
EXCLUSIVE: Hot off his Oscar for Darkest Hour, Gary Oldman has been set to direct and star in Flying Horse, a fact-based story of a photographer who helped develop the moving picture, but whose own dark moments defined his life. The script was written by Oldman.
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Flying Horse captures the story of Eadweard Muybridge, the photographer who was considered one of the true fathers of the moving image. In 1872, Muybridge was living the life as a successful photographer, contracted by the former governor of California to capture a horse-in-motion. And then, his life exploded, when he discovered his wife Flora was having an affair with the dapper critic Major Harry Larkyns. Muybridge’s story turns to one of revenge, murder, and the search for justice. He killed his wife’s lover, and then was acquitted on grounds of justifiable homicide.
Oldman’s longtime producing partner Doug Urbanski is producing with Tucker Tooley, whose Tooley Entertainment is financing.
This comes a day after Deadline revealed that Oldman, Antonio Banderas and Meryl Streep are going to star in the Panama Papers scandal drama The Laundromat for Steven Soderbergh, with Netflix likely to make the film. Flying Horse will mark Oldman’s second project as a director. His first was Nil By Mouth, which opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and was honored with 11 BAFTA nominations, winning Best British Film for Oldman/Urbanski and Best Screenplay for Oldman.
“This project has been a passion of Gary’s for some time, and I am thrilled to reunite with him to bring this compelling story to the big screen,” said Tooley.
Said Oldman and Urbanski in a joint statement: “We long to make good movies, and that means good stories—and there are few stories as good as these events. Launching the first feature from our newly formed production company, Flying Studios, with Tucker makes the entire thing very special for us. We could not wish for a more supportive or collaborative partner.”
Oldman and Urbanski are represented by Jim Osborne of APA and attorney Nigel Pearson of Paul Hastings.
