Carey Mulligan is taking on the fascinating story of journalist Kate Webb—who covered the Vietnam War—in On The Other Side, a new film that she will also produce, according to an announcement distributed today. While in Cambodia in 1971, Webb was captured by the North Vietnamese; her New York Times obituary from 2007 noted that, before she was released, the Times and other organizations had published a pre-emptive obituary after the cremated remains of a woman were found. “I’m so excited to bring Kate Webb’s remarkable story to the screen,” Mulligan said in a statement. “Her integrity, curiosity about the unknown and tenacity set her apart from many other journalists of her time and ultimately saved her life. In a world of increasing division, I can’t think of a more relevant character to portray today. Someone whose very survival depended on her desire to understand the other side of the story, to obtain the truth and to report it faithfully.“
On The Other Side is going to be adapted from Webb’s own book of the same name, and co-produced and financed by First Look Media’s Topic. First Look is in the journalism film business, having previously gotten behind Spotlight.