Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara are set to star in Pawel Pawlikowski’s next feature, The Island, a thriller due to begin filming next year.

Deadline reports that Pawlikowski writes and directs the film, which is inspired by true events and follows an attractive 1930s couple who turn their back on civilization to build their own private paradise and live off the land of a deserted island. However, the couple’s peace is short-lived, after a millionaire passing by on his yacht inadvertently turns them into a tabloid sensation. The coverage attracts the attention of a countess, who arrives out of the blue with her two strange lovers and plans to take over the island and build a luxury hotel. 

The synopsis continues: This larger-than-life European “countess” and her entourage soon begin to threaten the Eden that the couple has built and battle lines are quickly drawn. Psychological warfare ensues as seduction and jealousy descend into sexual infidelity, betrayal, and eventually murder – at the same time, nature itself turns against these island interlopers.

The Island will be Pawlikowski’s first film since 2018’s Cold War, which received three Oscar nominations. Phoenix and Mara, meanwhile, last starred opposite each other in the historical drama Mary Magdalene.