Christopher Nolan to Direct WWII Action Thriller 'Dunkirk'

Christopher Nolan's next directing project will be a World War II action thriller titled Dunkirk, confirmed Variety.

The previously rumored film will revolve around the evacuation of the French city during WWII. iThe evacuation, also known as Operation Dynamo or the Miracle of Dunkirk, saw the rescue of more than 300,000 soldiers from the harbor over the course of eight days.

Nolan has been seen recently in France scoping out possible shooting locations as well as test screening teenagers for lead roles. While no actors are officially attached to Dunkirk yet, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy are confirmed to be in talks to join the ensemble. 

Dunkirk will be co-produced by Nolan's longtime producing parter Emma Thomas for Warner Bros., who have scheduled it for a release on July 21, 2017.

“We are thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Christopher Nolan, a singular filmmaker who has created some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of all time,” Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production said. "Dunkirk is a gripping and powerful story and we are excited to see Chris, Emma and their cast realize it on the big screen.”

Shooting is scheduled to begin in May on location in France using a combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large format film.