'Mulan' Director Niki Caro To Helm 'Beautiful Ruins' For Amblin; Sam Mendes To Produce

As the world waits for Niki Caro’s big-budget, live-action remake of “Mulan,” it appears the filmmaker is already bracing herself for her next project, the upcoming film “Beautiful Ruins.” According to Variety, Caro has signed on to direct the new romantic drama which finds the filmmaker teaming up with Amblin Partners.

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“Beautiful Ruins” tells a story that spans decades, as it begins in 1962 with a young man that runs an empty hotel. His life changes when he meets a young Hollywood starlet that is working on a new production of “Cleopatra.” The story then moves to the modern-day, where a personal assistant of a once-powerful producer discovers the story and gets swept up in finding her own happy ending. Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, and Julie Pastor of Neal Street films will produce the new project. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Jess Walter and will be adapted by Mark Hammer and Chiara Atik.

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As mentioned, Caro’s best-known feature is the upcoming “Mulan,” which was originally supposed to be released in March but has been delayed until the latter part of August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous to that, she’s helmed features such as “The Whale Rider,” “North Country,” and “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” Caro is also credited with an episode of “Anne with an E.”

It’s unclear when production on “Beautiful Ruins” might begin. Obviously, there’s still work to be done with the script, but there’s also the industry-wide production delays due to the global pandemic that has seemingly pushed the start dates for a number of features until well into 2021.