Sartaj Singh
Gurinder Chadha is venturing into a new narrative territory for her upcoming directorial work! The Cinemaholic has learned that the filmmaker will helm ‘Diamondback,’ a revenge thriller movie written by Jennifer Julian, Gary Sherwood, and June Thiele. The cast of the project remains under wraps.
Set against the rugged landscape of the New Mexico Territory in 1874, the plot revolves around a young girl whose life is irrevocably altered when she witnesses her father being brutally murdered by a gang of Irish outlaws intent on taking their land. She manages to escape their clutches with the help of a Native American warrior who raises her as his own. Upon receiving rigorous training from this kind man, the girl hones herself into a weapon driven by sheer willpower and hatred for her father’s murderers. Once the warrior finds her ready, she sets out to exact her vengeance upon the unsuspecting Irish gang.
Gurinder Kaur Chadha is a British filmmaker of Indian origin renowned for her romantic comedies and coming-of-age movies, which often explore identity and cross-cultural experiences. Her breakthrough came with ‘Bhaji on the Beach,’ which was followed by her acclaimed soccer comedy ‘Bend It Like Beckham,’ a global hit that follows a young British-Indian woman’s journey in pursuing soccer against her family’s traditional expectations. She leaned towards the period setting of British India with ‘Viceroy’s House’ and ‘Beecham House,’ with the narrative weaving together strands of romance, culture clash, and political unrest.
Chadha’s upcoming projects include ‘Christmas Karma,’ a holiday movie starring Kunal Nayyar, and ‘Pashmina,’ a Netflix animated adventure film about an Indian-American girl learning about her culture through a magical shawl. The filmmaker generally directs projects written by herself, and ‘Diamondback’ will serve as a notable departure from the trend.
Jennifer Julian works with June Bug Pictures, and ‘Diamondback’ marks her writing debut. She co-wrote and pitched the film to the Montana Film Commission, receiving the highest grant of $100,000. June Thiele, an Indigenous writer and performer, co-wrote the movie with Julian and Gary Sherwood. Their credits include ‘Molly of Denali,’ ‘Hop,’ and ‘Molly of Denali: The Big Gathering.’ They have appeared in ‘True Detective‘ as Nurse Ivy and ‘Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery’ as Dr. Kells.
Montana’s sweeping plains, jagged mountains, and arid valleys will provide a suitable background for ‘Diamondback.’ Locations within the state can stand in for the harsh, untamed environments central to the film’s plot and Western aesthetic. Other similar movies and shows shot in the state include Paramount+’s ‘Yellowstone,’ ‘1923,’ ‘1883,’ and ‘The Revenant.’
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