Can the rockstar-actor extraordinaire Harry Styles give us a second to breathe? Ever since his Fine Line world tour was postponed, he’s been throwing himself headfirst into fun side projects instead. After appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, we’ve waited three long years for him to make his movie comeback. Then, earlier this week, we heard that he’d signed the dotted line on something major: a 1950s California suburban psycho-thriller called Don’t Worry, Darling, co-starring Florence Pugh. You can get the lowdown on that here.
Well, it seems like we’re well on our way to getting another movie after that. Last night, Deadline reported that Amazon were in the final stages of securing distribution rights for an adaptation of the tender, queer novel My Policeman by Bethan Roberts, and that Harry was about to sign on the dotted line to play the titular role.
Starting out in the 1990s, this flashback story tells the tale of an elderly couple, Marion and retired policeman Tom, and the transformative turn of events that occur when their invalid old friend Patrick comes to stay. His arrival triggers the memories of Tom and Patrick’s past together: when they were exploring their sexuality at a time when being gay was illegal in Britain.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Harry was reading the book back in February of this year, when he was pictured in London.
In that case, it’s likely that the talks have been ongoing for a while. At present, Lily James is also set to appear in the film, which will be adapted for the screen by Philadelphia writer Ron Nyswaner and directed by British theatre stalwart Michael Grandage. Production is currently expected to kick off next summer, and with a big gap between March and August in Harry’s 2021 tour schedule, we can imagine that means his June and July will be spent on the beachy coasts of Britain, slipping into the shoes of a queer policeman. This year only gets wilder.