Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain in Talks for ‘The Good Nurse’
An adaptation of Charles Graeber‘s serial killer novel, The Good Nurse, has been on the cards for a while now. While Darren Aronofsky (Mother!) was originally pegged to direct, it turns out he’ll be producing the film instead. Danish filmmaker Tobias Lindholm is directing in what will be his first English language feature film. Deadline reports that Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain are in negotiations to star in the thriller.
Based on true events, The Good Nurse tells the story of:
“…The pursuit and capture of Charlie Cullen, a nurse who is regarded as one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Now called ‘Angel of Death’, Cullen was a married father who was thought to be a responsible caretaker, but his secret compulsion to take life led to his implication in the deaths of as many as 300 patients over 16 years, spread across nine hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”
Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain
Redmayne will star as serial killer Cullen, who was eventually caught by two Newark detectives aided by one of Cullen’s fellow nurses. Chastain is set to play the nurse who risked her career and family’s safety to bring an end to Cullen’s killing spree. This led to Cullen’s arrest in 2003 and his later sentencing to eighteen consecutive life sentences in 2006.
Although Redmayne is best known now as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, he’s successfully pulled off ‘unsettling’ before (critical opinions on Hick aside, his role was genuinely creepy). For Chastain, this role comes at a busy time, as she’ll also star in IT: Chapter Two and recently shot X-Men: Dark phoenix.
The script is being adapted by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, a writer for Showtime‘s Penny Dreadful, fresh off co-authoring the anticipated Sam Mendes WWI drama. Aronofsky’s company Protozoa will produce the film.