Matt Smith, Imogen Poots to Lead Thriller The Salamander Lives Twice

Embankment takes the project to Cannes buyers, signaling a full relaunch under director Ant Timpson with writer Toby Harvard.

Overview

Smith and Poots are attached to star in the mystery-thriller, with Smith playing an amnesiac castaway who arrives on a remote island with a locked briefcase.
Embankment Films has boarded for international sales ahead of the Cannes market, with executive Archie Faulks calling it a Hitchcockian mix of absurdist comedy and psychological suspense.
The film reunites writer Toby Harvard and director Ant Timpson for a third collaboration following Come to Daddy and Bookworm.
Producers Emma Slade and Roxi Bull of Velvet Moss and Andy Starke of Anti-Worlds are on board to steer the package.
The team is targeting a February 2027 shoot on a remote island after a 2020 version linked to Vera Farmiga and Adrien Brody stalled during the pandemic.