The cameras will begin to roll on Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front [+lire aussi :
critique
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interview : Edward Berger
fiche film] in March 2021. The project, set to be one of Germany’s most expensive productions to date, follows the Wolfsburg-born director’s recent efforts, namely the drama All My Loving [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] and the TV series Patrick Melrose and Your Honor. Daniel Brühl (Rush [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
making of
fiche film], the TV series The Alienist), attached to the project as one of the leading actors, will also serve as executive producer.

The script, penned by former Washington Post journalist Ian Stokell and producer and actor Lesley Paterson, is based on the World War I novel of the same name, written by Erich Maria Remarque and published in 1929. All Quiet on the Western Front was previously adapted by Lewis Milestone in a 1930 feature and by Delbert Mann for the small screen in 1979.

The story follows teenagers Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, who voluntarily enlist in the German army, riding a wave of patriotic fervour that quickly dissipates once they face the brutal realities of life on the front. Paul’s preconceptions about the enemy and the rights and wrongs of the conflict soon crumble. However, amid the countdown to armistice, Paul must carry on fighting until the end, with no purpose other than to satisfy the top brass’ desire to end the war on a German offensive.

All Quiet on the Western Front is being staged by Malte Grunert for Hamburg-based outfit Amusement Park and Daniel Dreifuss. The UK’s Rocket Science is in charge of its global sales. According to Variety, who first reported the news, Netflix has acquired the feature’s world rights, but to date, the Los Gatos-based giant has declined to comment.