Former History Boy and Abba warbler Dominic Cooper has joined the cast of turn-of-the-century drama Summer In February, based on the well-received novel by Jonathan Smith.
Cooper has been suffering from tinnitus-like ‘awards buzz’ since his Devil’s Double gig and will enjoy a less frenetic performance as acclaimed painter Alfred Munnings, a member of the bohemian Newlyn School of artists based in Cornwall and a rival in love to Stevens’ land agent Gilbert Evans.
Whether Evans, like Stevens’ Downton incarnation Matthew Crawley, will be required to achieve the mean feat of finding a stylist to give him blonde highlights in the muddy trenches of war-torn northern France is yet to be determined.
Jonathan Smith has adapted his own book for the big screen, while Stevens, a former English pupil of his at Tonbridge School, will exec produce. Helming the $8 million pic will be Christopher Menaul, who recently made his film debut with opera comedy First Night (not the one with Richard Gere).
With an increasingly accomplished cast and a rich and resonant novel as its source material, we think this sounds like a promising little Brit-flick.
Summer in February is expected to arrive at cinemas late in 2012 .
