The Soap Maker: Claire Denis to direct remake of 1977 dark comedy Black Journal

Back in 1977, Shelley Winters, Max von Sydow, Renato Pozzetto, and Alberto Lionello starred in a dark comedy called Black Journal (or Gran Bollito), which was directed by Mauro Bolognini and was loosely based on the true crime case of serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli. Now, Variety reports that Trouble Every Day director Claire Denis is in talks to direct a remake of that film, titled The Soap Maker.

The approach being taken this time around is to make this a cannibalistic elevated real crime drama in the vein of The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and Get Out, “with a decidedly dark tone and a psychological thriller feel.” So we’re not getting a dark comedy from Denis. Variety notes that the producers hold the rights not only to the Black Journal screenplay but also to “a diary that Leonarda Cianciulli allegedly wrote in the psychiatric prison were she spent the rest of her life after confessing her crimes. The apparent witchcraft Leonarda used to attract her victims will be accurately recreated from her asylum diary, according to the project’s promotional materials.” They add that “the English-language film is inspired by the true story of Italy’s Leonarda Cianciulli, who in the late 1930s and early ’40s murdered three local women in the central Italian town of Correggio and disposed of their bodies with chemicals — using what was left to make soaps, candles, cookies and cakes that she shared with people in her community.“

Gerry Pass of Chrome Entertainment is producing The Soap Maker with Lucas Foster and The Hermit director Salvatore Sclafani, who runs the production company First Child.

In addition to Trouble Every Day, Claire Denis has previously directed Stars at Noon, Both Sides of the Blade, High Life, Let the Sunshine In, The Breidjing Camp, Bastards, White Material, 35 Shots of Rum, Toward Mathilde, The Intruder, Friday Night, Beau Travail, Nénette and Boni, I Can’t Sleep, No Fear, No Die; Man No Run, and Chocolat (1988), among other things.

Are you a fan of the works of Claire Denis, and are you interested to see what she’ll do with The Soap Maker? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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