World War I drama '1917' set for Christmas 2019 release

Los Angeles, Dec 14 (IANS) Sam Mendes' World War I drama "1917" will release on December 25, 2019, Universal Pictures has announced. Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners is producing "1917" through its DreamWorks Pictures brand. "1917" will open in limited release on Christmas Day then go wide two weeks later on Janurary 10, 2020, reported variety.com. Mendes wrote the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, and will direct and produce the film. Pippa Harris, Mendes' partner at Neal Street Productions, will also produce it with Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall. The cast includes George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman. "1917" marks a reunion for Mendes and DreamWorks. The British director won an Oscar for his first feature, 1999's "American Beauty" and also directed "Road to Perdition" and "Revolutionary Road" for DreamWorks. Mendes also helmed "Jarhead", "Away We Go", and the last two James Bond movies, 2012's "Skyfall" and 2015's "Spectre".