Jonathan Bailey and Bill Nighy are coming together for a new romantic drama, Insomniac City, based on the real-life love story between writer and photographer Bill Hayes and celebrated neurologist Oliver Sacks. The film will be directed by Dominic Cooke, whose previous credits include On Chesil Beach and The Courier, with Bailey taking on the role of Hayes opposite Nighy as Sacks.
Adapted from Hayes’s 2017 memoir of the same name, Insomniac City will follow the writer as he moves from San Francisco to New York City following a devastating personal loss. Struggling with grief and trying to rebuild his life, Hayes begins to find his place in the city, where he meets and falls in love with Sacks. Their relationship becomes an important part of his new life, with the film exploring love, loss and finding happiness again when you least expect it.
Sacks was a renowned neurologist and author whose work helped bring a greater understanding of neurological conditions to the public. His books include The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings, the latter of which inspired the Oscar-nominated 1990 film starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro. Away from his medical career, Sacks shared a relationship with Hayes until his death in 2015, aged 82.
The screenplay has been written by Cooke alongside Hayes himself, bringing the author’s personal account of their relationship to the screen. Speaking about the project, Cooke described Insomniac City as “a rare story that feels both profoundly intimate and epic in scope.”
The director explained that the film will celebrate second chances and the unexpected connections people make throughout their lives, with New York City playing an important role in the story. Alongside the romance between Hayes and Sacks, the adaptation will explore the city that brought them together and helped Hayes rebuild his life.
Bailey, best known for his roles in Bridgerton, Wicked and Jurassic World Rebirth, will also serve as a producer on the film. Nighy, whose credits include Love Actually, About Time and Living, joins him in the lead role, with Troy Lum and Andrew Mason producing for Brouhaha Entertainment, alongside Mike Goodridge and Gabrielle Tana.
Altitude is handling worldwide sales and will introduce the project to international buyers at the American Film Market. Filming dates and a release window have yet to be announced.
For CultureCues, we love Jonathan Bailey and Bill Nighy, so we’re really looking forward to seeing them together in this film. They’re both fantastic actors, and we think they’ll be brilliant at bringing Bill Hayes and Oliver Sacks’ love story to the screen. We also love that Hayes himself has helped write the screenplay, especially when it’s such a personal story. It sounds like it’s going to be a beautiful film, and probably a bit of a tearjerker too. We’ll definitely have the tissues ready for this one.
Insomniac City will star Jonathan Bailey and Bill Nighy, with Dominic Cooke directing.
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