Rooney Mara has all but parted ways with the role of Lisbeth Salander, which is unfortunate considering The Girl in the Spider’s Web is finally beginning to spark into life, but the actress has still enjoyed a really rather stellar 2016. Following the acclaimed one-two punch of Una and Lion at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Mara has also lined up The Secret Scripture, a touching Irish romance in which she plays Roseanne McNulty.
Directed by the Oscar-nominated Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), The Secret Scripture is actually based on Sebastian Barry’s novel of the same name, and takes the Titanic approach by first introducing viewers to an older version of Roseanne – played here by the great Vanessa Redgrave – who reflects on her remarkable story of love, loss and tragedy in the Irish county of Roscommon.
Also starring Jack Reynor, Theo James, Aidan Turner, and Eric Bana, the rousing first trailer has now debuted online but as of yet, there’s no release date to report. Stay tuned for more on that one.
The Secret Scripture is without a US distributor at the moment, but it shouldn’t be too long before Jim Sheridan’s drama locks down release plans. We’ll let you know the moment there are any developments, but until then, check out the film’s official synopsis below.
Based on Sebastian Barry’s acclaimed 2008 novel, the latest film from Academy Award–nominated director Jim Sheridan draws us into a woman’s mysterious story, long hidden by time and trauma. Starring Rooney Mara (also at this year’s Festival in Lion and Una), Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave, Jack Reynor, and Eric Bana, The Secret Scripture is a powerful story of love, loss, and belated redemption.
Roseanne McNulty (Redgrave) must vacate the soon-to-be demolished mental institution in Roscommon, Ireland that she’s called home for over 50 years. The hospital’s psychiatrist, Dr. William Grene (Bana), is called in to assess her condition. He finds himself intrigued by Roseanne’s seemingly inscrutable rituals and tics, and her fierce attachment to her Bible, which she has over the decades transformed into a palimpsest of scripture, drawings, and cryptic diary entries. As Grene delves deeper into Roseanne’s past, we see her as a young woman (Mara), whose charisma proves seductive. We learn that she moved to Sligo to work in her aunt’s café, fell in love with a dashing fighter pilot (Reynor, also at the Festival in Free Fire), and that a local priest (Theo James) fell tragically in love with her.
