According to the The Associated Free Press, Michael Mann has chosen World War II photographer Robert Capa as the subject of his next movie. The 66-year-old director — who helmed Collateral, The Insider, Heat, and this year's Public Enemies — will draw from the Susana Fortes novel Waiting for Robert Capa, which chronicles Capa's love affair with fellow photographer Gerda Taro.
Capa and Taro were perhaps most famous for the iconic photos they shot on the frontlines of the Spanish Civil War, many of which capture the human face of a dehumanizing war. The photos were also notable for their being dangerously close to wartime horrors. Check out these samples of Capa and Taro's work, courtesy of New York's International Center of Photography, which devoted exhibits to both two years ago.
The love affair between Capa and Taro was short-lived, as Taro was killed in 1937 in an accident involving a tank and a car carrying injured soldiers. She was only 26. Later, Capa would have a love affair with Ingrid Bergman, but he too would die young. In 1954 he was photographing on the frontlines of the First Indochina War when he stepped on a landmine. He was 40 years old.
Reportedly, the bulk of Mann's movie will focus on the Taro romance, as it provides more information about Capa as a unique individual. There is no report on casting or release dates, but we'll be anxious to see what Mann does with this material. We anticipate he'll have some terrific opportunities to collect some stunning shots, perhaps similar to Capa's own work.