Picture: Netflix
Christian Bale is set to feature in his first major Netflix Original movie in 2023. Here’s everything we know so far about the new gothic horror The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix.
Please note: this preview was initially published in March 2021 with new information added as and when we get it. It was last updated on August 30th, 2022.
Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye will be written and directed by Scott Cooper, known for such films as Crazy Heart, Black Mass, Hostiles, and Out of the Furnace.
Cooper and Bale had previously worked together on the latter two films making The Pale Blue Eye their third collaboration. According to Deadline, Cooper has sought to put this film into development for over a decade.
Christian Bale & Scott Cooper
Bale will produce the film along with Birdman‘s John Lesher and Tyler Thompson of Cross Creek Pictures, who is coming off the Golden Globe-winning The Trial Of The Chicago 7.
When will The Pale Blue Eye be released on Netflix?
The Pale Blue Eye was initially announced as part of the Netflix 2022 lineup but sadly, will just be missing it.
The movie is set to release in two installments.
It’ll first release on December 23rd with a limited theatrical release before landing on Netflix on January 6th, 2023 globally on Netflix.
What is the plot of The Pale Blue Eye?
Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye is an adaptation of Louis Bayard’s 2006 novel of the same name. Fun fact: the novel, which features a young Edgar Allan Poe, was nominated for an Edgar Award in the category Best Novel in 2007. The Edgar Award is of course named after Edgar Allan Poe.
The quick premise of Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye is the following:
At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of a young cadet’s body swinging from a rope just off the parade grounds. An apparent suicide is not unheard of in a harsh regimen like West Point’s, but the next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has stolen into the room where the body lay and removed the heart.
At a loss for answers and desperate to avoid any negative publicity, the Academy calls on the services of a local civilian, Augustus Landor, a former police detective who acquired some renown during his years in New York City before retiring to the Hudson Highlands for his health. Now a widower, and restless in his seclusion, Landor agrees to take on the case. As he questions the dead man’s acquaintances, he finds an eager assistant in a moody, intriguing young cadet with a penchant for drink, two volumes of poetry to his name, and a murky past that changes from telling to telling. The cadet’s name? Edgar Allan Poe.
Picture: Netflix
Who is cast in The Pale Blue Eye?
Christian Bale and Harry Melling
Oscar-winner Christian Bale, known for his many iconic and award-winning roles, will headline Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye.
Bale will play Augustus Landor, a veteran detective who investigates the murders that occur in the film. As mentioned above, the film will also feature a young cadet who helps Bale’s character and eventually becomes the world-famous author Edgar Allan Poe.
Over the summer of 2021, Harry Melling perhaps best known in recent years for appearances in numerous Netflix Originals such as The Queen’s Gambit, The Devil All the Time, The Old Guard, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs joined the cast. Melling will play the role of Edgar Allan Poe.
Late on December 1st, 2021, it was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, that a further seventeen actors have been attached to the project. Sex Education star Gillian Anderson has been cast in an unnamed role, alongside Lucy Boynton who previously starred in the Netflix horror Apostle. Anglo-French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg will be making her Netflix debut in The Pale Blue Eye.
From left to right: Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, and Charlotte Gainsbourg
Veteran actors Robert Duvall, Toby Jones, and Timothy Spall have also been confirmed. Ozark actor Charlie Tahan has also been cast in an unnamed role.
From left to right: Robert Duvall, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall, and Charlie Tahan.
Below is the full confirmed cast of The Pale Blue Eye:
| Role | Cast Member |
|---|---|
| TBA | Gillian Anderson |
| Augustus Landor | Christian Bale |
| TBA | Lucy Boynton |
| Edgar Allan Poe | Harry Melling |
| TBA | Robert Duvall |
| TBA | Toby Jones |
| TBA | Timothy Spall |
| TBA | Charlotte Gainsbourg |
| TBA | Charlie Tahan |
| TBA | Fred Hechinger |
| TBA | Simon McBurney |
| TBA | Hadley Robinson |
| TBA | Brennan Keel Cook |
| TBA | Gideon Glick |
| TBA | Harry Lawtey |
| TBA | Joey Brooks |
| TBA | Matt Helm |
| TBA | Steven Mair |
What is the production status of The Pale Blue Eye?
Current production status: Post-Production (Last Updated: 03/08/2022)
Filming took place between November 29th, 2022, and February 25th, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The film has been in post-production for several months.
The movie’s budget has been reported to be between $50 million to $100 million with some sources saying it is around the $70 million mark.
Are you looking forward to The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
