Sam Mendes's Empire of Light begins production

Filmmaker Sam Mendes's next feature Empire of Light has begun production in Margate, England. Additionally, the team has also announced that actors Tom Brooke and Hannah Onslow have joined Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Crystal Clarke, and Tanya Moodie in the cast of the film.

Empire of Light also marks Mendes's first solo piece as a writer. The film is a romantic drama set in and around the South Coast of England in the 1980s, centring on a love story around and inside the walls of a charming old cinema.

The film will see Mendes once again collaborating with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. Notably, Deakins had won an Oscar for best cinematography at the 2020 Academy Awards for his work on Mendes' 1917.

Mendes will also produce the project through his Neal Street Productions along with Pippa Harris. the film will be released theatrically by Searchlight Pictures.