Sumith Prasad
Jonatan Etzler is set to direct ‘Bad Apples.’ The feature film is targeting to start filming in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2024. The satirical comedy revolves around Maria, a primary school teacher who deals with an unruly and chaotic student. When her career gets threatened by the spiraling behavior of the child, she makes a series of bad decisions that lead to her accidentally taking and locking this “bad apple” in her home. “Maria tries desperately to backtrack, but when the class starts flourishing and the staff and parents are thrilled with the improvement, she finds herself in a very complicated predicament,” reads the official logline.
Etzler is known for directing Netflix’s romantic comedy ‘One More Time,’ which revolves around a 40-year-old Amelia who wishes to be 18 again. When her wish materializes, it doesn’t take long for her to regret the same since she gets stuck reliving the day several times. The film, starring Hedda Stiernstedt, Maxwell Cunningham, Elinor Silfversparre, etc., also marked his feature film debut as a director.
Etzler made his directorial debut with the 2009 short film ‘Balladen om Beatrice.’ The project was followed by several other shorts, including ‘Grownups,’ ‘Make a Wish,’ ‘Intercourse,’ ‘Get Ready with Me,’ etc. His 2020 short film ‘Swimmer’ was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Live Action Short Film at AFI Fest and Best International Short Film at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival. ‘Get Ready with Me,’ on the other hand, won him the Gold Medal for Best Narrative at the Student Academy Awards. The film also served as a second unit or assistant director of four episodes of the Swedish series ‘Beartown.’
Four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan plays Maria. The actress recently completed the filming of Steve McQueen’s Stephen Graham-starrer Blitz’ and Nora Fingscheidt’s ‘The Outrun,’ which also features Stephen Dillane. Her recent credits include Garth Davis’ Paul Mescal-starrer ‘Foe,’ ‘See How They Run,’ and Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch.’ Jess O’Kane penned the film based on Rasmus Lindgren’s debut novel ‘De Oönskade.’
‘Bad Apples’ is produced by Oskar Pimlott of Pulse Films. The production company’s portfolio includes Nicolas Cage-starrer ‘Pig,’ Andrea Arnold’s Cannes Jury Prize-winner ‘American Honey,’ and Riz Ahmed-starrer ‘Mogul Mowgli.’ “Jonatan has an unparalleled ability to create hilarious and horrifying cinema from the uncomfortable truths of human nature. We couldn’t be more excited that his unique perspective is going to collide with the extraordinary depth and talent of Saoirse Ronan in this special film,” Pimlott shared in a statement.
The United Kingdom, in addition to ‘Bad Apples,’ is expected to host the filming of several exciting films and shows in the near future. These projects include the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ HBO’s ‘The Franchise,’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ sequel ‘The Testaments.’
Read More: One More Time Ending, Explained: How Does Amelia Break Out of The Time Loop?
