In their coverage of the Cannes Film Festival Variety published an article about Marion Cotillard’s next French film project ‘Le Dernier vol de Lancaster’ (The Last Flight). Read the full article here. The film is described as a “Sahara-set adventure-romantic drama” and will apparently start shooting next January in Marocco after Marion finishes shooting Rob Marshall’s musical ‘Nine’.

Screenplay is by Remy Waterhouse, from an epistolary novel “The Last Flight of the Lancaster.” A tempestuous tale of conflict — between colonial forces and local insurgents, old and new loves, and men who face off for the love of Cotillard — “Flight” is set in 1933. Cotillard plays a dashing and thoroughly modern femme aviator who lands in the Sahara, looking for her lover, an English long-distance record-breaking aviator who’s crashed in the desert. Meanwhile, the local French Foreign legion fort faces a local rebellion.

Good news: The production company Gaumont is in advanced negotiations for Guillaume Canet, the film will be presented to buyers during the Film Festival and it will apparently be in English!

Recent French reports indicate Guillaume Canet would be playing the title character Bill Lancaster (his casting was confirmed by none other than Ms Cotillard’s mother herself in the forums of the official family site) while the name of Marion’s heroine is Chubbie Miller.

Another reason to follow the coverage of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival: A French Gossip site reported that Marion Cotillard confirmed her attendance.

I bought tons of French magazines featuring Marion Cotillard when I was at my local newstand yesterday. Scans etc to follow tomorrow. First some exciting news about Marion’s next French project. We now know the title for the ‘Karim Dridi Project’: according to the latest French Elle issue the title is ‘Le Dernier Vol de Lancaster’:

And, as far as French ["hexagonal"] cinema is concerned, we will have to wait for the beginning of 2009, that is when “the little French mermaid”, as she is nicknamed on the other side of the Atlantic, is going to shoot “Le Dernier Vol de Lancaster” (Lancaster’s last flight) under the direction of Karim Dridi (director of “Pigalle”, “Bye Bye”…). “It’s a romance movie like we don’t do them anymore,” the happy director reveals to us. “A marvellous adventure in the Sahara desert during the 30s. Marion’s character will fall in love with an handsome Méhariste [A méhara is a camel, a méhariste is a (often nomad) camel-mounted soldier of the French army during the time of colonisation...] who could be played by, I dream about it, Guillaume Canet!” But how did he manage to convince France’s new darling? “She fell for this love story and like “La Vie En Rose” it’s an “auteur” film but with a strong commercial potential. Like Piaf who achieved international sucess without forgetting her roots, Marion wants and needs to work at home as well. It’s up to the producers to be ambitious, to offer her big subjects, artistic movies, a cinema that enables her to express her talent. In short, to attract her, you’ll have to take risks!” concludes the director.

Thanks Delsa for this translation! Add to this Marion’s enthusiastic comments about the project – such as “I have an amazing beautiful project in France” – and I can’t wait for this film to be released! Which will probably be late 2009 or 2010….

Those of you who have read the French interview on the Studio Hors Série scans already know. Marion Cotillard has another upcoming project apart from Nine. It’s Karim Dridi’s next film. Actually, I just learned, she referred to this project already back in September in a French interview with Télécinéobs: “Ce sera une très belle histoire d’amour.” Which translates to “It will be a very beautiful love story.” You will be pleased to know that the November-January issue of US magazine MEAN has more information (scans coming soon!):

I have an amazing beautiful project in France at the end of 2008. It’s a true story, it takes place in the desert and it’s in the early ’30s. She’s a woman, she flies planes and she goes to Africa by herself because the love of her llife has crashed in the desert. There is a French director from Tunisia attached to the project, Karim Dridi.

This sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! If you know anything else about this project – e.g. the movie title – please don’t hesitate to tell us!

Let’s all hope that scheduling conflicts for Marion Cotillard can be avoided! Karim Dridi’s film is scheduled to start shooting at the end of 2008 and Nine‘s planned production start is in the second half of 2008.