Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz have signed on to star in The Lobster, an "unconventional love story" set in a dystopian future where "finding a partner is a matter of life or death." So... does the government kill anyone who's not married by age 30? Update: There's another synopsis!
Update: According to Film School Rejects, another synopsis of this film was circulating last October along with a casting call, and back then the film "was going to be a romance set in a strange future where being single is illegal, and if someone is caught being single they are given 45 days to either find a mate or be transformed into an animal." So she doesn't face death — just becoming a beast. Okay then.
The Lobster is the English-language debut of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose movie Dogtooth was nominated for an Oscar in 2009. It's co-written by Lanthimos and his longtime collaborator Efthimis Filippou, and it co-stars Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, Ariane Labed and Angeliki Papoulia.
Obviously you can't judge a film that hasn't even started shooting, and this director has a great track record... but it really does feel as though we're reaching Peak Dystopia in pop culture, especially when our notions of dystopia start to shift from "pervasive surveillance and state-sanctioned torture" to "you have to find a romantic partner or else." On the other hand, maybe this will be the next Brazil. We'll find out, hopefully in a few years!
Top image: The Fountain.