Kathryn Bigelow's "Detroit" Trailer Explodes

Chris here. Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty follow-up, Detroit, has been veiled in almost as much secrecy as that Oscar-winning film, our only snippets of information being that it’s set during the 1967 Detroit riots. The film also has a pretty packed ensemble cast including John Boyega, Jason Mitchell, and John Krasinski (though suspiciously lacking in black female roles). But now we have a first look at what she’s crafted thanks to a tense trailer – and the results are stellar.

Though our mind naturally wanders to Oscar with Bigelow's name and her regular writing partner Mark Boal attached, the film's late summer release (roughly fifty years after the riots) also suggests confidence the film could be aiming to seize the zeitgeist just as we tire of superhero bombast. Though production company Annapurna Pictures has had Oscar success with the likes of American Hustle, Her, and Zero Dark Thirty, this will be their first outing as a distributor. I'm guessing they'll want the cash from making this a hit before betting on a costly Oscar play. However, I'm already rooting for Jason Mitchell's chances this year - he'll also have Dee Rees's Mudbound to keep him in the conversation.

Might Detroit be included in tomorrow's Cannes lineup announcement? Check out the intense trailer below and tell us your thoughts in the comments. Detroit opens August 4!

Sundance 2017: Mudbound

There’s usually a film every year that premieres at Sundance and goes on to do very well at the Oscars, almost a year later. Think Brooklyn (2015), Whiplash (2014), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) and Precious (2009). This year it could be Captain Fantastic, but most definitely will be Manchester by the Sea. And next year it could be Dee Rees's Mudbound...

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Carey Mulligan to work with Dee Rees

Murtada here. Carey Mulligan is continuing her quest to collaborate with the most interesting directors. After Luhrmann, the Coens, McQueen, Refn and Vinterberg, it’s time for Dee Rees (Pariah, HBO’s Bessie). The two are planning to work on an adaptation of Hillary Jordan’s 2009 novel Mudbound. Rees will write and direct, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund and Straight Outta Compton’s standout Jason Mitchell will co-star.

Despite what Mulligan claimed her agent told her after watching Suffragette (2015); 'Darling, you're lovely in it, but blue jeans film next”, it’s another period piece. Although this time it’s set post WWII in Jim Crow’s South. Mulligan will play a city bred woman who is trying to raise her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta cotton farm, and her entanglements with two soldiers returning home from the war - one of them is white and her brother-in-law, and the other is black, a son of the sharecroppers who live on the farm. The story deals with among other things the extreme racial prejudice of that era. We assume Clarke is the husband, Hedlund the brother-in-law and Mitchell is the other soldier.

Carey should have no problem this time since she's not working with a man

It is an exciting collaboration since Rees proved a distinctive cinematic voice with Pariah and that she had an eye for period drama with Bessie. Mulligan is always fascinating on screen, although perhaps she hasn’t quite yet found a film that allowed her to soar as high as she did on stage last year in Skylight. And it’s nice to see Mitchell get a chance to capitalize on his impressive breakout. The project is in early stages and hasn’t secured full financing yet so lets hope it sticks.

Has anyone read the novel? Should we be excited?