Annual Top Films Lists

Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2015: #64. Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert

Published on January 6, 2015

Queen of the Desert

Director: Werner Herzog // Writer: Werner Herzog

One of the most prominent members of the New German Wave happens to be Werner Herzog, an auteur who has remained a vibrant cinematic icon going on five decades. Lately working almost exclusively in documentary (and starring as a villain in 2012’s Jack Reacher), Herzog returns with his first feature since his pair of bizarre 2009 titles, Queen of the Desert. Starring a heady, glitzy cast made up of Nicole Kidman, James Franco, and Robert Pattinson, the film is a chronicle of Gertrude Bell’s life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Cast: Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, Jenny Agutter

Producers: Benaroya Pictures’ Michael Benaroya (Hateship Loveship), Cassian Elwes (Reach Me), Nick N. Raslan (Rescue Dawn), Mark Burg (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints).

U.S. Distributor: Rights available

Release Date: While many had hoped Herzog would have the title ready for late 2014, we’re guessing he’s avoiding the rush to make an appearance with the title at Cannes.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.