Ralph Fiennes Returns to Directing With Class Drama ‘The Beacon’

After finding some thrilling ways to deliver the next big fine dining craze in 2022’s The Menu and working alongside his frequent collaborator, Wes Anderson, in the filmmaker’s 2023 short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, 2024 is going to bring a very exciting new project to the desk of Ralph Fiennes. The two-time Oscar nominee and BAFTA recipient has penned the upcoming feature-length drama, The Beacon, in which he will also direct and star. This marks Fiennes’s fourth return to helming, having previously lent his vision to The White Crow, The Invisible Woman, and Coriolanus, but it will be a first for the celebrated actor as it marks his debut work on a screenplay for a feature film.

Joining Fiennes in his latest vehicle are Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Charles Babalola (Mary Magdalene), and Alison Oliver (Saltburn). The Beacon is described as “a searing meditation on family, class, race and identity, a contemporary drama set in the UK.” From the film’s synopsis, which you can read in its entirety below, it sounds like the movie will be a less horror-filled version of Jordan Peele’s Get Out after a young man finds himself out of his element with his girlfriend’s wealthy family in the English countryside. Production is expected to pick up this summer in Suffolk with Fiennes reunited with producer Gail Egan who has previously worked with the actor on The Constant Gardener.

What Else Is Ralph Fiennes Up To?

A certain generation will always know Fiennes as Lord Voldemort while others are more likely to recognize him for his performances in films like Schindler’s List, Maid in Manhattan, In Bruges, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. With a career spanning multiple decades, Fiennes has jumped into just about every genre under the sun and continues to do so with his upcoming projects. Along with The Beacon, Fiennes is also attached to Uberto Pasolini’s adaptation of The Odyssey in his soon-to-be-released film, The Return. Beyond that title, Fiennes will appear as the leading character in Edward Berger’s Conclave, a thriller that takes place in the Vatican.

Check out the full synopsis for The Beacon below and stay tuned to Collider for more information.

Here’s the synopsis:

Joshua Nyaga travels to the countryside from London to spend a summer’s weekend with his girlfriend Cass’ family for the first time. Transplanted as a young boy from the violence of the Ugandan civil war to the concrete jungle of London, Joshua has never experienced the privilege that Cass’ family enjoys.

Surrounded by the sea and lush natural landscape, the farm is an oasis, brimming with idealistic notions and lively debate amongst Cass’ father, stepmother and their longtime friend of the family, Michael. But Joshua’s warm welcome is short lived, when a sudden act of violent racism at a local summer concert shatters the peace forcing Joshua and those around him to confront the uncomfortable truth of their differences.