There are few people in the film industry that have had the type of early career as Benjamin Cleary. You may not know his name yet, but the filmmaker has already earned an Oscar for his 2015 live-action short film, “Stutterer.” And to kick off his feature filmmaking ventures, with the upcoming “Swan Song,” he’s already signed up two of the best actors working today and partnered with one of the richest studios on the planet.
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According to Deadline, Cleary is set to write and direct his feature film debut, “Swan Song,” which was recently picked up by Apple. And he has signed on Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali to star. The details of the film are being kept under wraps but the report claims the story takes place in the near future and explores the lengths someone will go and what they’ll sacrifice for the people they love.
As mentioned, this is the first feature for Cleary but this is definitely not the first time his lead actors have worked together. Previously, Ali and Harris both starred in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning feature, “Moonlight.” In fact, Ali earned an Oscar for his performance, with Harris landing a nomination of her own. In the film, Harris will play Poppy, Ali’s character’s soulmate.
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Harris is next set to appear in the upcoming James Bond feature, “No Time to Die.” In addition, she is currently one of the stars of HBO’s new thriller, “The Third Day,” which is currently in the middle of its TV run. Ali recently appeared in Hulu’s award-winning series, “Ramy,” which landed the actor with an Emmy nomination. He’s also set to appear in an HBO series titled “Unruly” and eventually, he’ll star as the lead in Marvel Studios’ “Blade.”
There’s no date set for when production might start on “Swan Song.”
