This is not a cast lineup you see every day. 100 Nights of Hero, writer-director Julia Jackman’s adaptation of Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel, now counts among its stars the following: Oscar nominee Felicity Jones (Rogue One, pictured above), Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine), Richard E. Grant (Gosford Park), Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White and Royal Blue), Markella Kavenagh (The Rings of Power), Varada Sethu (Andor), and Charli XCX. Yes, that Charli XCX.
100 Nights is Jackman’s debut as a feature screenwriter; she previously directed 2002’s The Riley Sisters. Her adaptation slightly changes the name of Greenberg’s graphic novel, which is called The 100 Nights of Hero; the novel has the following synopsis:
In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle—and Cherry.
But what Jerome doesn’t know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness.
In a statement quoted by Variety, Jackman said, “I’ve been in love with Isabel’s graphic novel since I read it in 2016, and it’s been a dream to adapt it into its own weird cinematic universe. … |I’m excited for people to see what we’ve done with Manfred, Cherry and Hero—even if you’ve read the book, you may not know the whole story just yet.”
No release date has been announced.
