Last year we heard that Jessica Chastain would star in Denis Villeneuve‘s adaptation of Russell Banks’ novel The Darling, a project that Martin Scorsese was once set to direct.
Not much news on the project has surfaced since then but today, we have an update for you. Speaking to George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Banks said that Scorsese is still a part of the project, but only as an executive producer. He also revealed that he was working on the script and that the project is looking to go into product next year. Finally, he confirmed that Chastain will star and Villeneuve will direct.
For those unfamiliar The Darling, you can check out the plot summary below.
“The story is about Hannah Musgrave (Chastain), a member of the politically radical Weather Underground who is pursued by the FBI. On the run, she escapes to the Aftican nation of Liberia and marries Woodrow Sundiata, a Cabinet Minister of that country. She also creates a sanctuary for chimpanzees. The story is set against twenty-five years of political struggle and civil war in Liberia.”
The story does seem quite fascinating and it is easy to see why Chastain would want to partake in the film. As for release date, no word on that yet but we can always speculate.
Villeneuve has just begun An Enemy with Jake Gyllenhaal and he also has Prisioners starring Hugh Jackman, which will shoot in January for a late 2013 release.
So, presumably, The Darling may start shooting at the end of 2013 or even earlier if Prisioners gets pushed back.