David Cronenberg’s highly-anticipated Hollywood satire Maps to the Stars sounds a little stranger every time I hear about it. The film, which has a projected 2014 release date, aims to analyze the toxic relationship that America has with celebrity by focusing on a sinister family of Hollywood A-listers who live much more complicated and unhappy lives than initial appearances suggest.
New images for the film have landed online today, highlighting the characters played by John Cusack, Julianne Moore and Olivia Williams. You can check them out below, along with an intriguing new poster for the film.
A new synopsis for Maps to the Stars, which was penned by Bruce Wagner, was also revealed this week at the American Film Market this week. It reads as follows:
The Weiss family is the archetypical Hollywood dynasty: father Sanford is an analyst and coach, who has made a fortune with his self-help manuals; mother Christina mostly looks after the career of their son Benjie, 13, a child star.
One of Sanford’s clients, Havana, is an actress who dreams of shooting a remake of the movie that made her mother, Clarice, a star in the ’60s. Clarice is dead now and visions of her come to haunt Havana at night. Adding to the toxic mix, Benjie has just come off a rehab program he joined when he was 9 and his sister, Agatha, has recently been released from a sanatorium where she was treated for criminal pyromania…
Cronenberg has made a name for himself by taking on challenging, ambitious projects, and Maps to the Stars looks like it will fit right in with the rest of his filmography. The Canadian director is best known for his philosophical horror/sci-fi efforts, which include The Fly, Videodrome and The Brood, but he has also recently developed a taste for stinging social satire – his last film, Cosmopolis, was an eerie meditation on the 1% apparently inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests.
Maps to the Stars features an ensemble cast including Cusack, Moore, Williams, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, Sarah Gadon, Carrie Fisher and Evan Bird.
Are you excited to see Cronenberg take on Hollywood with Maps to the Stars? Check out the photos and poster below, and then sound off in the comments section!
