Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English film and stage director, producer and screenwriter. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). He directed an original West End stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).
For directing the play The Ferryman, Mendes was awarded the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2019.
Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’ With Olivia Colman and Colin Firth Lands December Release Date
thewrap.comalso features Tom Brooke, Hannah Onslow, Toby Jones, Crystal Clarke and Tanya Moodie in supporting roles.Set in the South Coast of England in the 1980s, “Empire of Light” is a love story that revolves around an old cinema.
According to Searchlight Pictures’ official description, it is “a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema.”Mendes produced the film with Pippa Harris for his Neal Street Productions. “Empire of Light” will see him reunite with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who won an Oscar for his work on the war epic “1917.” Firth and Colman played husband and wife in the 2021 indie drama “Mothering Sunday,” led by Josh O’Connor and Odessa Young.
Firth most recently starred in limited series “The Staircase” as Michael Peterson. Colman appeared in the hit Netflix series “Heartstopper” and has a number of projects in the works, including “Great Expectations,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “Wonka.”Up next on Mendes’ slate is producing writer-director Niki Caro’s “Beautiful Ruins” for Amblin Partners.
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