One of Pablo Picasso's most famous works is 'Guernica,' a painting about a town of the same name that was bombed by the Nazis during the Spanish Civil War. Now the story of that tragedy is being brought to the screen by director Koldo Serra (The Backwoods).
According to an article in Spanish newspaper El País, the story will centre on two American journalists covering the war. While not the worst of bombings by outsiders, it is the most famous, largely because of Picasso's painting. No doubt there is a great potential audience, not only amongst Serra's fans, but also among art fans who know little about the story behind the painting.
It's been a while since Serra's work has been seen on the big screen. His fantastic first thriller, starring Gary Oldman and Paddy Considine, gained quite a cult following, and since then Serra has been working mainly in television. A couple of years ago, ScreenAnarchy reported on another feature Serra was working on, Perros Muertos, but no word on what happened to it.
A deal on the film was apparently sealed at Berlinale, and it will be a Spanish / UK / French / German co-production. At the moment, pre-production is set to begin in the fall, with filming early next year. Spanish television writer Carlos Clavijo and Barney Cohen (screenwriter of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) are working on the script.
Being that Serra is from the Basque country (where The Backwoods was set), and has keen directorial eye for representations of darkness, tragedy, and the evil that men do, we look forward to hearing more about the project.