If Alicia Vikander was in-demand prior to her snagging the Oscar gong for a much-lauded turn in The Danish Girl, then the Swedish actress can expect to find her name high on numerous casting lists from here on out.
While roles in The Light Between Oceans and Universal’s Jason Bourne revival are already cramming up the pipeline, it is Wim Wenders’ Submergence that will go down as Vikander’s first post-Oscar project, after it recently sailed into production in Berlin.
Based loosely on J.M. Ledgard’s eponymous novel – and adapted for the screen by Erin Dignam – Wim Wenders’ heart-wrenching romance places Vikander opposite James McAvoy, with the pair set to anchor the director’s latest feature as a couple torn apart in tragic circumstances. On one side of the globe, Danielle Flinders (Vikander) explores the depths of the ocean as a brilliant marine pioneer, who spends much of her time beneath the waves reflecting on times spent with her wayward significant other.
In Submergence, that role falls to James McAvoy, whose character also risks life and limb on a daily basis on the frontlines of the Middle East. Separated by thousands of miles, it’ll be fascinating to discover how Wenders plans to run each story in parallel, as he looks to capture the raw emotion found in Ledgard’s source material.
Setting up shop in Berlin, other filming locations also cover France, Spain and Africa, before Submergence wraps at some stage in July. That would place Wenders’ tragic romance on course to release during the thick of awards season. Could Vikander make it two for two in Oscar nominations?
