According to a recent report from Variety, Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov has cast August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds) as the lead in his next project, The Disappearance, even while work continues on the forthcoming Limonov. Diehl will play the character of Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor who was dubbed “The Angel of Death” for his experiments on the twins and other prisoners at Auschwitz. As of right now, shooting will start in early June. The film, adapted from Olivier Guez’s bestselling novel The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, will follow the doctor as he evades capture in South America at the end of World War II.
The original book, which relied on a plethora of historical records, followed Mengele as he narrowly evaded capture by Mossad agents, journalists, and international police. For nearly three decades, Mengele hid out in the Brazilian surf, making him one of the only high-ranking Nazis to escape justice for his crimes. The film will focus on Mengele’s escape from capture while he was on the run in Paraguay and the Brazilian jungle. The book was met with widespread acclaim upon its debut, earning the prestigious Renaudot Prize in France in 2017 and going on to be published in more than 30 other countries.
When it came out, it caused quite a stir because of the connections it made between high-ranking Nazis and South American politicians. To guarantee that his version was true to the original, Serebrennikov collaborated closely with Guez. Along with Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema and his usual colleague Ilya Stewart (Tchaikovsky’s Wife), he is producing the picture through Hype Studios (Annette). Melani Biessy of Scala Films, Felix von Boehm of Lupa Film, and Julio Chavezmontes of Piano are the co-producers (Triangle of Sadness).
The role of Mengele was eventually cast with Diehl after a lengthy audition procedure.
He has the chops for the part, having starred in several high-profile films over his career, including Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, which is nominated for the 2019 Palme d’Or. Recently, he filled in as Soviet revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in The King’s Man, and he’ll be featured in the upcoming episode “Soldier of Illusion” from Season 4 (or 53) of Documentary Now! “We’re really delighted to have been accompanying him on this project for the previous four years,” Gillibert remarked of the director Kirill Serebrennikov.
The Disappearance has been years in the making, but the producer referred to Serebrennikov’s zeal for adapting the novel, adding: Although portraying Mengele’s narrative from his perspective is a risky proposition, Kirill succeeded in doing so, revealing both the metaphysical escape of a man tortured by his crimes and a secret story about Europe that has strong resonances with the current day. Production of The Disappearance has begun all across South America, mostly in Uruguay, Brazil, and Mexico, with additional filming in Germany. As soon as filming begins, we’ll have additional information.