Director: Ciro Guerra
Writer: JM Coetzee (Novel)
Producer: Michael Fitzgerald and Olga Segura with AMBI Group’s Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi
Cinematographer: Chris Menges
Role: Officer Mandel
Costars: Mark Rylance (Magistrate), Johnny Depp (Colonel Joll), Gana Bayarsaikhan (Barbarian Girl), Harry Melling (??), Hami Belal (Joll’s #1 Man)
Production Co: Ithaca Pictures, Infinitum Nihil (Johnny Depp), TaTaTu (Andrea Iervolino)
Sales Rep: AMBI Distribution Worldwide; Paradigm Talent Agency
World Premiere: Venice Film Festival 2019 (In Competition)
International Release Dates and Film Festivals
2019
- Venice Film Festival (In Competition) – 6 Sept 2019
- Deauville Film Festival (France) – 8 September 2019
- San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain) – 26 September 2019
- Zurich Film Festival (Switzerland) – 29 September 2019
- London Film Festival – 6, 7 and 9 October 2019
2020
- Cartagena International Film Festival (Colombia) – 11 March 2020 (Opening) and 14 March 2020
- Ischia Global Festival (Naples, Italy) – 19 July 2020 (Andrea Iervolino will be present)
- Samuel Goldwyn Films (VOD) – available now July 2020 in US
- Russia (Ð’ ожидании варваров) (Paradise Group) – 6 August 2020
- North America (Samuel Goldwyn Films) Digital release – 7 August 2020
- Ukraine – 13 August 2020
- Mongolia (Black Stallion)- 21 August 2020
- France (DVD | Bluray ) (SND)- 2 September 2020
- UK (VOD) – 7 September 2020 | (pay TV deal with SKY Cinema)
- US (DVD | Bluray) – 8 September 2020
- Mexico (DVD) – 8 September 2020
- Italy (Iervolino Entertainment S.p.A.) VOD – 24 September 2020
- Australia (Defiant Screen Entertainment) – DVD + Digital -7 October 2020
- Turkey (Filmarti) – 9 October 2020
- Poland (CzekajÄ…c na barbarzyÅ„ców) (DVD) – 14 October 2020
- Kaohsiung Film Festival (Taiwan – Cai Chang International) – 16 and 18 October 2020
- Germany (Warten auf die Barbaren) (Constantin Film) – 5 November 2020 – DVD, Bluray + Download
- Singapore (Shaw Bros) – 5 November 2020
- Finland (Bluray|DVD) – 30 November 2020
- Norway (DVD) – 30 November 2020
- Sweden (Bluray|DVD) – 30 November 2020
- Denmark (DVD) – 1 December 2020
- UAE (Gulf Film) – 19 December 2020
- Brazil (SwenFilmes) – coming soon
2021
- Benelux (One2See) – 1 Jan 2021
- Scandinavia & Iceland (Non Stop) – now streaming
- Egypt – 6 January
- Saudi Arabia – 7 January
- Netherlands (DVD) – 26 January
- Japan (Aya Pro) – 29 January 2021
- Italy (VOD Premiere) – 8 March 2021
- Italy (DVD) – 9 March 2021
- Lithuania (Kinopavasaris) – 18 March 2021
- South America – Chile, Colombia, Venezuala, Argentina & Peru – 15 April 2021
- Japan (DVD) – 28 May 2021
- Portugal – 15 July 2021
Distributors
- Central & Eastern Europe (Vertical Entertainment Romania)
- Indonesia (Artist View)
- Latin America (Dreamgold)
- Middle East (Falcon Films)
- RPAU Roundup: Movie Reviews
- Gallery (Promotional Stills, Set Photos + Theatrical Posters)
2017
- Robert Pattinson: RPAU Week in Review 3 to 9 July 2017 (mention)
- NEW PRINT: Robert Pattinson Reveals to Vanity Fair “Waiting for the Barbarians†Is His Ciro Guerra Film
- PRINT: Robert Pattinson talks Upcoming Projects, Directors & More with IndieWire
- FILM UPDATE: Robert Pattinson Character Name is Colonel Joll | Added to his IMDbPro Projects in Development
- FILM UPDATE: #WaitingfortheBarbarians New Character Name for Robert Pattinson ~ Filming in Africa or Chile in 2018
- FILM UPDATE: Ciro Guerra Hopes to Shoot #WaitingfortheBarbarians end of 2018 in Morocco
- FILM NEWS: Johnny Depp Could Be Joining Robert Pattinson in Ciro Guerra #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- FILM UPDATE: Andrea Iervolino’s “TaTaTu†Co-Financing & Producing Robert Pattinson #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- FILM UPDATE: Robert Pattinson Character Now Warrant Officer Mandel in #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- FILM UPDATE: Robert Pattinson #WaitingfortheBarbarians Fully Funded and Will Start Filming in October 2018
2018
- FILM UPDATE: Johnny Depp Confirms Role in Robert Pattinson & Mark Rylance #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- Mark Rylance confirms Johnny Depp portraying Colonel Joll (Video Interview)
- Johnny Depp Confirms Filming End of October 2018
- FILM UPDATE: Robert Pattinson #WaitingfortheBarbarians Commences Filming 29 Oct 2018 | Morocco
- SET PHOTO: Robert Pattinson on Horseback (Morocco)
- SOCIAL MEDIA: #RobertPattinson Photographed on Set of #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- Harry Melling Joins Cast
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Tarik Ziad Shares his Photo with Robert Pattinson | #WaitingfortheBarbarians
2019
- FILM UPDATE: #WaitingfortheBarbarians Now In Post-Production | 2020 Release Date
- NEW BTS PHOTO: Makeup! | Robert Pattinson on Set of #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- FILM UPDATE: Olga Segura tells The Universal (Mexico) #WaitingfortheBarbarians planning premiere last quarter of 2019
- FILM UPDATE: IMDbPro Updates Robert Pattinson #WaitingfortheBarbarians Release to 2019 | “Wide Release” for US
- NEW: Photo of Robert Pattinson as Mandel
- TEASER VIDEO: Robert Pattinson as Warrant Officer Mandel
2020
- NEW PHOTO: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel in #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Nabil Jalil Shares Alternate Photo with Robert Pattinson in Morocco | #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- Set Photo of Rob with Ciro Guerra
- Robert Pattinson photographed with Waiting for the Barbarians production assistant, Salah Rakouch (Nov 2018)
- NEW: Connor Dillon Shares New Promo Still of Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- NEW PROMO STILLS: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel ~ #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- FILM NEWS: First Poster+Trailer
- PDF SCAN: Mark Rylance Mentions Robert Pattinson (or does he?) |Total Film
- 3 NEW STILLS: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- ARTWORK: Robert Pattinson featured on French DVD/Bluray Cover
- NEW PHOTO + VIDEO: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- PROMO STILL: New Photo of Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- NEW: Photos of Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Marrakech_Productions Shares Set Photo with Robert Pattinson | #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- NEW HQ PROMO STILL: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- VIDEO: 3 New Clips Featuring Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel #WaitingfortheBarbarians *CONTAINS SPOILERS*
- VIDEO: New BTS featuring Interview & Scenes #RobertPattinson #WaitingfortheBarbarians *Dubbed & Contains Spoilers*
- NEW PROMO STILL: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel in #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- NEW PROMO STILL: Ierovolino Entertainment IGS Shares Photo of Robert Pattinson
- New Promo Still + Full Version of Previously Seen – Officer Mandel
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Asmaa Radwane Shares Set Photo with Robert Pattinson
- NEW PHOTO: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- NEW PHOTOS: Promotional Stills of Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Olga Segura Shares New Set Photos of Robert Pattinson from “Waiting for the Barbarians†(2018)
- SOCIAL MEDIA: New Still of Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel | Waiting for the Barbarians
- HQ PROMO STILL: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- PEOPLE TALKING ROB: Mark Rylance Tells Collider “Robert is a phenomenal actor …â€
2021
- VIDEO: American Cinematographer Discusses Waiting for the Barbarians
- NEW SCREENSHOT: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
- VIDEO: Ciro Guerra Mentions Robert Pattinson During Intro for Italian VOD Premiere #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- PROMO STILLS: Untagged Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- PROMO STILLS: Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel Now in HQ #WaitingfortheBarbariansÂ
External Articles
- Mark Rylance & Ciro Guerra To Bring J.M. Coetzee’s ‘Waiting For The Barbarians’ To Big Screen
- Johnny Depp forms Production Company with Andrea Iervolino – Waiting for Barbarians first project together
- VIDEO: Ciro Guerra Mentions Robert Pattinson During Intro for Italian VOD Premiere #WaitingfortheBarbarians
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Where to Watch Robert Pattinson “Waiting for the Barbarians”
HISTROCIAL ARTICLES
- Screen Daily Interview with Ciro Guerra (4 July 2017): Guerra confirmed that his adaptation of J.M Coetzee’s Waiting For The Barbarians starring Mark Rylance, which was first reported in 2016, is still going ahead. He said of the film: “That project is still moving forward. Hopefully it will be the first time I work in the English language. I’m open to that because of the possibility of working with great talent and an international scale but for me the most important thing is the source Material. “Coetzee’s Waiting For The Barbarians is one of the great novels of the 20th century and there’s been a plan to make a film of it for a long time. It’s a challenge and a privilege to able to bring it to the big screen. It’s planned to shoot in 2018 and should be released in 2019.â€
- VARIETY confirms AMBI Media Group will fully fund film – slated to film fall/autumn 2018 in Europe and North Africa.
HISTORICAL STATUS
- Optioned: Originally 13 October 2016 and updated on 5 June 2017 via IMDbPro
- Pre-Production as at 22 June 2018 (via IMDbPro) (Filming Morocco (Outer Posts) and Italy)
- Filming: 29 October 2018 (Morocco) (via IMDbPro)
- Production Wrapped: 14 December 2018
- Post Production – 2 January 2019 (via IMDbPro)
- Complete: 25 July 2019
SYNOPSIS
- From IMDbPro: A British magistrate working in a small colonial town begins to question his loyalty to the Empire.
- Novel Synopsis: For decades the Magistrate has run the affairs of a tiny frontier settlement, ignoring the impending war between the barbarians and the Empire, whose servant he is. But when the interrogation experts arrive, he is jolted into sympathy with the victims and into a quixotic act of rebellion which lands him in prison, branded as an enemy of the state. Waiting for the Barbarians is an allegory of oppressor and oppressed. Not just a man living through a crisis of conscience in an obscure place in remote times, the Magistrate is an analogue of all men living in complicity with regimes that ignore justice and decency.
- From Tracking Board: The story centers on the crisis of the conscience of the magistrate—a loyal servant of the Empire working in a tiny frontier town, doing his best to ignore an inevitable war with the “barbarians.†After he witnesses the cruel and unjust treatment of prisoners of war, he reconsiders his role in the regime and carries out a quixotic act of rebellion. Rylance will place the magistrate.
- Officer Warrant Mandel – LitCharts: A warrant officer for the Empire, Mandel is sent to replace the magistrate’s position after the magistrate has been charged with treason (consorting with the barbarians). The magistrate describes Mandel as highly affected and self-conscious, and as putting great effort into expressing his authority in order to mask his more boyish and delicate sensibilities. Believing Mandel to hail from people of low social class, the magistrate thinks he’s adopted such heady airs in order to cover up any traces of his less-than-regal upbringing. Mandel presides over the magistrate’s imprisonment while Colonel Joll is at the front, and eventually releases him, finding the cost of imprisoning the magistrate to be no longer a justifiable expenditure.
