Lynne Ramsay to direct sci-fi version of Moby Dick

Lynne Ramsay, director of We Need To Talk About Kevin , told Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo on 5Live's film show that her next movie would be a science fiction take on Moby Dick .

Ramsay had hinted that her next project might be a sci-fi, but this was still an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise.

Considering Ramsay's work always has a strong emphasis on character, period and location, this is an intriguing move.

Of the project she told 5Live: "It’s more or less inspired by Moby Dick , which is a fantastic novel, an American classic, but funnily enough a lot of people haven’t read it. So I’m working on something loosely based on that. And it’s science fiction, so we’re taking the premise into the galaxy.

"So we’re creating a whole new world, and a new alien. A very psychological piece, mainly taking place in the ship, a bit like Das Boot , so it’s quite claustrophobic."

Ramsay also hinted at the psychological aspect of the story, and drew a comparison with filmmaking: "It’s another monster movie, cos the monster’s Ahab. For a filmmaker, it’s really interesting, because it’s about this mad captain taking everyone on this crazy journey to their death, from his need to revenge.

"Making a film is like a crazy journey, and sometimes you go into dark waters, and you see some casualties along the way. It’s fascinating stuff, because there’s so much in it."

You can watch the entire video of the interview below (thanks to The Playlist for the heads-up):

We Need To Talk About Kevin is in cinemas now.