The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Tom Blyth has been cast as the lead in a new film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms.
It will be written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, known for collaborating with Steve Coogan on films such as 24 Hour Party People (2002), The Trip (2010) and Greed (2019).
The new film, which is set to start shooting in Italy later next year, will see Blyth take on the role of volunteer ambulance driver Frederic Henry, who is wounded and falls in love with his nurse during the First World War.
Winterbottom said in a statement: “Hemingway believed in paring a story down to the bare bones. He argued that a novel could be like an iceberg: the reader only sees the tip above the water but feels the bulk and weight of what lies below the surface.
“I want our film to be true to Hemingway’s approach - immediate, raw and natural - and I think in Tom Blyth we have found the perfect person to be Frederic Henry.”
Tom Blyth said: “As a long-time fan of Hemingway’s writing and Michael Winterbottom’s filmmaking, this is a dream project. Michael has adapted the book perfectly, with a script that captures all of the author’s unique nuance and precision.”
Ernest Hemingway in Paris in the Twenties— (Rex Features)
“The examination of the human cost of conflict, and of love and hope trying to thrive within it, resonates more than ever,” added Blyth. “I’m truly thrilled to be bringing Frederic to life on screen for a contemporary audience.”
A Farewell to Arms is considered one of the greatest war novels of the twentieth century and helped make Ernest Hemingway a household name when it was first published. The novel is closely based on Hemingway’s own experience as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian Army on the Isonzo Front.
It has been adapted for the big screen twice before: In 1932, with Gary Cooper as Henry, and in 1957, with Rock Hudson in the lead role. It was also made into a British television series in 1966, starring George Hamilton.
The new film is being made with support from Hemingway’s Estate. In a statement, Hemingway’s descendents Brendan Hemingway, Patrick Hemingway Adams and Angela Hemingway Charles said: “The family of Ernest Hemingway is thrilled to see A Farewell to Arms reimagined for a new age. Given the chaotic state of the world, it’s hard to think of a better moment to reintroduce his seminal story of love and the devastating effects of war.”
“We deeply appreciate the passion and depth of understanding exhibited by Winterbottom and his team,” they added. “They are surely the right people to breathe new life into Hemingway’s vision, and at a time when we, tragically, need it most.”
