A couple of years back, legendary director Ken Loach‘s long-time producer Rebecca O’Brien announced that after "Jimmy’s Hall," the filmmaker would be retiring from features. "This is probably the last narrative feature for Ken," she said. "There are a few documentary ideas kicking around, and that will probably be the way to go, but this is a serious period-drama with a lot of moving parts, so it’s a big thing to put together. I think we should go out while we’re on top." It would appear now that Loach did not agree.
READ MORE: Review: Ken Loach’s ‘Jimmy’s Hall’ Is Paint-By-Numbers Political Filmmaking
Cineuropa reveals that cameras are now rolling on Loach’s next feature film "I, Daniel Blake," and the first image has arrived. Paul Laverty penned the script for a movie that stars Dave Johns and Hayley Squires and follows a 50-something carpenter and a single mother navigating the red tape necessary for state welfare. Basically, this falls right in the wheelhouse of Loach’s social issues dramas.
The film will be released in the UK and Ireland in 2016, and given Loach’s long association with Cannes, it’s probably a safe bet "I, Daniel Blake" will premiere on the Croisette next spring.
