Jon Amiel’s WWI Black Comedy, ‘The Poisoners,’ Casts Emily Watson, Anna Friel, and Lena Headey

By  · Published on April 11th, 2012

There’s nothing quite like applying humor to a horrific slice of history to give new blood to some well-tread territory – thus a “pitch black comedy” set during WWI that centers on romantic affairs between sworn enemies. The Playlist reports that director Jon Amiel’s film, The Poisoners, has lined up a really wonderful cast to give some laughs (and love) to the WWI-set story. Coming from script by television writer Paul Billing, the film follows “a group of women left behind in an English farming community during WWI who then become romantically intertwined with several German prisoners of war.” So, like, reverse In the Land of Bloody and Honey?

The film’s cast now includes Emily Watson, Anna Friel, and Lena Headey as just some of those British ladies who fall in love with their apparent enemies. They will be joined by German actors Ken Duken, Hanno Koffler, and Alexander Scheer so, at the very least, this one is going for some cultural authenticity. While that’s a great cast, I’m most excited about seeing more work from the ever-charming Friel.

Of course, while we don’t know much about the project beyond its apparent tone and basic logline, it’s fair to wonder just what the title refers to? Will someone be emotionally “poisoned”? Or will something else entirely happen?

Filming is set to commence relatively soon, with locations in both Ireland and Germany.