Mark Rylance Talks Christopher Nolan's "Miraculous" And "Desperate" WWII Movie 'Dunkirk'

Next summer, like this summer, is mostly going to be a stew of remakes, sequels, and whatever other IP Hollywood is trying to ride to blockbuster, four-quadrant glory. Thankfully, however, somewhere in the middle of all that will be Christopher Nolan, serving up his WWII movie “Dunkirk.” Granted, it has its own little quirks (still not sure what the deal is with the casting of One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles), but it will otherwise be a movie with actual substance in a season when big-screen offerings to tend to be as nutritious as a tub of popcorn. And according to Mark Rylance (“Bridge Of Spies,” “The BFG“), one of the film’s co-stars, Nolan is cooking up something memorable.

“Chris is the most serious and interesting filmmaker. Every great filmmaker at some moment makes a war film. But Chris’ script-writing is so brilliant that I think he has the potential to make a very, very powerful and simple, pure war film about a miraculous loss. I think it has the potential to be just a marvelous film,” the actor told Empire podcast.

READ MORE: Ranked: The Films Of Christopher Nolan

“With some of those old war films you used to get a lot of build-up, you play the guessing game: who’s going to die and who’s going to live. This one has none of that. It’s just BANG! Straight into the middle of a desperate situation,” he added.

Letting the events of Operation Dynamo, the near-miraculous evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the French seaport of Dunkirk during WWII, speak for themselves sounds like the right way to go, though Nolan will have his share of spectacle too. Reports have already suggested at least one spectacular plane crash for the film that’s being shot in 65mm and IMAX 65mm.

Also featuring Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Cillian Murphy, “Dunkirk” opens on July 21, 2017. Listen to the conversation with Rylance below. [via Collider]