Critically acclaimed “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “Before Night Falls” filmmaker Julian Schnabel has confirmed his next feature will be an adaptation of Nick Tosches’ historical novel “In The Hand Of Dante”.
The book follows two separate stories, one set in the 14th century in Sicily and featuring Dante Alighieri, the other set in Fall 2001 with a fictionalized version of Tosches.
As Dante tries to finish writing his magnum opus, he goes on a journey for mystical knowledge in Sicily. Tosches, a Dante expert, is called in by black market traders to attest to the authenticity of a manuscript of Dante’s The Divine Comedy.
The film would mark Schnabel’s first feature since 2018’s acclaimed feature “At Eternity’s Gate”. He reveald the news whilst speaking with THR Italy (via World of Reel) and is reportedly eyeing to shoot ‘Dante’ in October with Oscar Isaac set to star in the lead role.
Of the project, Schnabel says (translated): “My perception is that Tosches himself is a sort of reincarnation of Dante Alighieri. It is a film where there is no future, there is no past, but only the eternal present.”
The new film will shoot throughout Italy including locations in Venice, Tarquinia, Padua, Verona, Palermo and Bracciano. It sounds like the latter will stand in for Florence because the real Florence has been “distorted by tourism”.
Schnabel has been developing the film for over a decade with Johnny Depp set to star back in a version that was in the works in 2011.
