Above image: Still, God’s Own Country by Francis Lee, 2017

Following the release of his most recent film, Ammonite, British director Francis Lee has revealed plans for a new horror title starring HERO cover-star Josh O’Connor. Little is known of the project’s finer details but after the pair worked so brilliantly together on God’s Own Country (2017) we’re prepared to follow this latest collaboration in blind faith.

Having previously expressed his eagerness to move into the horror genre, Lee will direct The Crown star in a work adapted from a piece of period fiction that, in his own words, “deals with the fundamentals of being queer.” The film itself is rumoured to be set in rural wilderness (though we can’t say whether it will be Yorkshire), following the journey of a melancholic young man as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Speaking to British photographer (and fellow Yorkshireman) Alasdair McLellan in our most recent issue – part of a series of conversations curated by Josh O’Connor no less – the filmmaker revealed snippets of his own upbringing that may yield further clues for the coming film. “I had some friends but not loads,” said Lee of his early years. “I didn’t feel like I fit in and I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence on my own. On the moors and in the woods, very nature-based.”

If that sounds as though Lee’s new film carries autobiographical references, it wouldn’t be the first time. Speaking to McLellan on his latest film, Ammonite, the director said, “I only write things that are very personal. Like this new film I just made about a 19th-century woman fossil hunter [Ammonite]. Sometimes it might not feel like it’s about me, but everything I write is exploring me, I guess, and relationships. I’m very obsessed with deep human relationships and figuring out how they work.” Perhaps O’Connor won’t be quite as alone as initially thought.

Stay tuned for more information on Lee’s upcoming film.