Dee Rees has been set to direct The Kyd’s Exquisite Follies, a musical fantasy based on her own original script. Rees’ previous film, 2017’s Mudbound, got four Oscar nominations including one for her adapted script, and her Bessie Smith HBO biopic Bessie got her two Emmy noms for writing and directing, with the film winning Outstanding Television Movie among its four Emmys. Rees will reteam with Mudbound producer Cassian Elwes, and Santigold is set to compose the music, with Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic creating the film’s visual effects. Endeavor Content is repping the project.
The Kyd’s Exquisite Follies is described as a swirling, futuristic roller-coaster journey of a young musician who catapults herself from the anonymity of her hometown of Same Ol’, Same Ol’ to the bright lights and plastic sights of the fabled It City in search of stardom.
“I was inspired by the AfroPunk and SteamFunk scenes and want to re-imagine the whole Follies genre for today, lift it out of the problematic tropes of the past and invest it with a queer, edgy energy,” Rees said. “My favorite musical as a kid growing up was The Wiz, but ironically I generally hated musicals. Which is why I wanted to take this on and write something original — to try and do something unexpected with the form — make a musical for people who hate musicals. It’s gonna be fun It’s been an absolute dream being in the studio with Santigold. She’s an artist I’ve admired and wanted to work with for a long time— she’s such a creative producer and has a vast range of styles and references. She’s a genius and the music we’re making is exciting as hell. People are gonna be surprised. I can’t wait.”
