Jake Gyllenhaal & Vanessa Kirby To Star In Survival Thriller From Jacques Audiard’s Screenwriter Thomas Bidegain

The lead-up to Cannes always means hot projects are coming out of the Cannes virtual market. One of the biggest of all the announcements thus far is “Suddenly,” a survival thriller starring two heavyweight Oscar nominees, Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”) and Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces Of A Woman”).

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The movie comes from Studio Canal and screenwriter Thomas Bidegain, known for working with French auteur Jacque Audiard and penning celebrated films such as “A Prophet,” “Rust And Bone,” and “Dheepan,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Bidegain has shifted into directing, and “Suddenly” will be his sophomore directing effort. He will write the screenplay for the thriller as well.

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“Suddenly” is based on Isabelle Autissier’s French-language novel “Soudain Seuls,” which follows a couple who become stranded on an island in the South Atlantic and must fight for survival when their dream journey becomes a nightmare. The novel shines a light on their relationship’s dynamics and holds a mirror up to modern society.

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Here’s the Google-translated would-be poetic synopsis from Amazon France.

A couple in their thirties went around the world. A desert island between Patagonia and Cape Horn. A dreamlike, wild nature that turns into a nightmare. A man and a woman in love who suddenly find themselves alone. Their new companions: penguins, sea ​​lions, elephant seals, and rats. How to fight against hunger and exhaustion? And if we survive, how do we get back to men? A novel where one travels in extreme conditions, where one shivers for these two modern Robinson Crusoes. A moving story.

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Gyllenhaal is one of the producers on the film, and this makes sense given he and Bidegain previously worked together on “The Sisters Brothers,” Jacques Audiard’s English-language debut, which he adapted. That film starred John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed. Unfortunately, it ended up being a costly dud for Annapurna Pictures and the International Distributors. Still, the underappreciated film is terrific, and by all accounts was a rich and important experience for all the actors.

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“With Suddenly, I wanted to analyze the deep dynamics of a relationship stripped of all the artifices of the modern world, when facing life and death situations in a wondrous but hostile environment,” Bigedain said in a statement given to Deadline. “Jake and Vanessa are a dream pairing who elevates the film to an entirely new dimension and are dream partners for making the film, along with our friends at Studiocanal.” 

Gyllenhaal has the upcoming thrillers “The Guilty,” directed by Antoine Fuqua, and “Ambulance,” directed by Michael Bay, on the way, and Kirby is coming off her Oscar-nominated performance for “Pieces Of A Woman” and the recently-debuted Tribeca indie “Italian Studies.”