The boy band to movie star pipeline seems to kicking into gear once again, and this time the rising star is none other than Harry Styles, formerly of the band One Direction. Though he made his name as one fifth of one of the best selling boy bands in history, reports suggest Styles is currently in the final negations to star in a feature adaptation of My Policeman, an LGBTQ novel by Bethan Roberts.
After One Direction began an indefinite hiatus in 2016, Styles has been proving that he isn't just a one-hit wonder, producing a platinum debut album, a number one UK single, and acting in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed film Dunkirk. He isn't content to stop yet though, and has all but officially signed on to work with Amazon Studios and producer Greg Berlanti on yet another project with big potential.
It's an interesting choice for someone best known as a 2010's pop star, moving far away from his typical comfort zone. The film is set in the 1950's in Brighton, England, and focuses on a love triangle between three characters: Tom, Marion, and Patrick. Tom is enthralled and fascinated by Patrick, but as a man living in the 1950's it is much easier for him to be seen with Marion, who has instantly fallen for him. Tom must balance these two relationships until something occurs that shifts the balance permanently. The film will also be structured using flashbacks, with the overall framing set forty years after the fact, when Tom and Marion take an aging Patrick into their home.
Amazon has been interested in making this project for some time now, and it seems they are going full steam ahead on the project. Styles has been chosen to play Tom, and Lily James is likely set to play Marion; while there is no word yet on who is going to play Patrick, it has been suggested that they will be slightly older than Styles. In the meantime, it seems Styles has been eager to study up, having been recently photographed reading a copy of My Policeman in his spare time.
Source: Collider