Angelina Jolie will portray the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Maria for Chilean auteur Pablo Larrain, who is reteaming with his Spencer screenwriter Steven Knight.
Larrain’s Fablua Pictures is producing with The Apartment Picture and Komplizen Film, with whom he also partnered on Spencer.
Maria will be based on true accounts and tells the tumultuous and ultimately tragic story of the life of the American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas, “relived and re-imagined” during her final days in 1970’s Paris.
Larrain has come to specialise in intensely personal, interior portraits of iconic woman under the glare of pubic attention as seen in Jackie with Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy and most recently Spencer with Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. Both earned lead actress Oscar nominations.
Knight (Spencer, Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises) is writing the screenplay and Juan de Dios Larraín is producing for Fabula Pictures with Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle-owned The Apartment Pictures, and Jonas Dornbach for Komlizen Film.
Pablo Larraín, whose credits include No, Neruda, Ema and The Club, said: “Having the chance to combine my two most deep and personal passions, cinema and opera, has been a long-awaited dream. To do this with Angelina, a supremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift.”
Jolie added: “I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all I can to meet the challenge. Pablo Larraín is a director I have long admired. To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.”
Jolie is in post-production on her fifth film as a director, Without Blood, the first under a three-year deal with Fremantle. In her acting career she has won a supporting actress Oscar for Girl, Interrupted and earned a lead actress Oscar for Changeling. Her credits include Salt, Wanted, and A Mighty Heart.
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