The Babadook Director Gets a Release Date for New Movie The Nightingale

One of the most divisive horror movies of the past decade has been writer-director Jennifer Kent's The Babadook starring Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman. Some love it. Some hate it. But either way, Kent firmly made our list of up-and-coming horror movie directors to keep a close eye on following her debut. And today we have word that IFC Films have acquired her follow-up film The Nightingale. The new period survival drama is all set to unleash upon the masses on August 2, 2019.

The old timey thriller follows a 21-year-old Irish convict in 1820s Tasmania, who is desperate to be free of her abusive master, Lieutenant Hawkins, having served her seven-year sentence. Hawkins refuses to release Clare, so Clare's husband, Aidan, retaliates and she becomes the victim of a harrowing crime at the hands of the lieutenant and his cronies. Unable to secure justice from the British authorities before Hawkins leaves his post to secure a captaincy up north, Clare decides to pursue him and is forced to enlist the help of a young Aboriginal tracker, Billy, who grudgingly guides her through the rugged wilderness to track down Hawkins.

Clare, the above-mentioned 21-year-old Irish convict, is played by Aisling Franciosi, who is perhaps best known for her role as Lyanna Stark in HBO's mega-hit adaptation of author George RR Martin's fantasy series Game of Thrones. On top of that, Franciosi is also known for her roles such as Georgia Cunningham in Clique, Katie Benedetto in The Fall, and Kate Crawford in Legends. She is joined in Kent's latest film by newcomer Baykali Ganambarr as the young Aboriginal tracker, Billy.

Franciosi and Ganambarr will be chasing Sam Claflin as the evil Lieutenant Hawkins in the film. Claflin is best known as Finnick Odair in director Francis Lawrence's 2013 adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. Claflin continued to play the role of Odair through Lawrence's 2014 follow-up The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and 2015's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. In addition to that role Claflin has starred in such blockbusters as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, and Geoffrey Rush; and Snow White and the Huntsman and it's sequel The Huntsman: Winter's War with Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain, and Emily Blunt. Claflin most recently starred in Baltasar Kormákur's Adrift alongside Shailene Woodley, and he will be seen upon the big-screen next in director Elizabeth Banks' Charlie's Angels reboot starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska.

In addition to Franciosi, Ganambarr, and Claflin, Damon Herriman will be co-starring as Ruse along with Ewen Leslie as Goodwin, Harry Greenwood as Jago, Michael Sheasby as Aidan, Luke Carroll as Archie, and Charlie Shotwell as Eddie rounding out the cast. The Nightingale held its North American debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival following its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. IFC Films will be unleashing the new period survival drama upon the masses on August 2, 2019. This update comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter.