11 Things We Know About Harry Styles’ Dunkirk Movie

8 August 2016 / 14:33

Last week (August 5) the first teaser trailer for 'Dunkirk 'appeared, and it was pretty intense. Just check out that final shot of all the soldiers (how many extras were hired for this thing?!) reacting with terror as a plane roars over their heads. This film is going to be petty special.

But like a lot of Christopher Nolan’s films, the project is shrouded in secrecy. Just what is going on? How big is Harry Styles’ part? Where is Michael Caine? We scoured around to dig up these nuggets of info on the movie for you…

Hey! So what’s this new movie all about?

Christopher Nolan’s (director of 'The Dark Knight' trilogy, 'Inception' and 'Interstellar') latest film will tell the story of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 during World War II, where a huge number of British, French and Belgian troops were hastily withdrawn from France as the Nazis were closing in on them. It’s an incredible story, the outcome of which the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to as a “miracle”.

Who’s starring?

The very cream of the crop of British acting talent has been recruited for this one, featuringTom Hardy ('The Dark Knight Rises)', Cillian Murphy ('Peaky Blinders'), Mark Rylance '(the BFG)', Kenneth Brannagh (literally everything Shakespeare everywhere), James D’Arcy ('Broadchurch'), Jack Lowden ('War & Peace'), Aneurin Barnard (…also 'War & Peace') AND MORE. There are a lot of talented actors working on this movie.

Also, there’s some bloke called Harry Styles in there. Don’t know if you’ve heard of him?

Just how big is Harry Styles’ role?

Details on that aren’t concrete at this stage, but considering that this is Styles’ acting debut (not a bad gig to start off with though, eh?), it’s unlikely that he’ll have a major part to play. But you never know…

We’ve seen photos from the set of the former One Direction star in military uniform, so it’s very likely that he’ll be one of many trying to escape from the Nazis.Will Styles be subjected to a gruesome death? Who knows. (Harry Styles knows.)

So wait…there’s no Michael Caine orcrazy sci-fi element in this film?

Nope. Caine might've starred in a whopping six of Nolan's films to date, but he doesn't appear to have been given a part in 'Dunkirk.'Also, we can't say that there will be any wormholes (ala Interstellar)in 'Dunkirk'.(Because there definitely weren’t any wormholes in 1940s France.)

Are you sure this is a Christopher Nolan film?

Yes.

Is 'BFG'star Mark Rylance a Harry Styles fan?

Funny you should ask that - he sure is! Mark Rylance has praised Harry Styles’ acting credentials, saying the One Direction star doesn't need any acting tips because he has a "gift".

Rylance went on to add: "What's really surprised me is he's really witty, really funny - he really makes me laugh. He's been ever so brave, not making any fuss.

"He seems remarkable ... one of those people who has - Sean Penn has it too - a kind of panache. I look at them and think, 'How did you get that? How do you get so that life is easy?' But he has got a lovely, lovely character. It's a gift."

Is there anything crazy like that rotating corridor from 'Inception' happening on set?

Nolan has (apparently) bought a $5 million Nazi plane – which he’s going to stick a camera in before crashing it.

This wouldn’t be the first time Nolan has done something along these lines. Back when he was filming 2014’s' Interstellar', Nolan inserted an enormous IMAX camera into the nose of a jet plane so that he could get the perfect shot - although that plane didn’t end up crashing into the ground. This time, it will. Nolan has to keep upping his game, we guess!

And that’s not the only thing Nolan’s got his hands on is it?

The 'Memento' director has also managed to recondition actual warships for the shoot, including the French Navy destroyer Maillé-Brézé. Christopher Nolan just doesn’t do half-measures.

So is Nolan still trying to avoid CGI wherever possible?

The film will be shooting on location in Swanage and Weymouth in the UK, Los Angeles in the US and Dunkirk in France. Not sure why they’re heading to that final location…

To avoid using CGI as much as possible, the movie’s production department has used cardboard cut-out props of soldiers and military vehicles, which you can see an example of from the shoot below:

Are frequent Nolan collaborators Jonathan Nolan and Hans Zimmer back?

They are. Nolan’s brother Jonathan is once again helping out on script duties, whilst Hans Zimmer, the man responsible for all those “BRAAAAAAHHHMMS” from 'Inception', will be at the helm of the soundtrack.