Christoph Waltz, Maya Hawke, John Turturro, and Jon Hamm To Star in Billy Wilder Film WILDER & ME
Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), John Turturro (Severance), and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) are set to star in an upcoming film about filmmaker and songwriter Billy Wilder titled Wilder & Me.
The movie comes from director Stephen Frears (The Queen) and the movie is described as a “bittersweet drama.” Hawke will play a character name Calista, “a young musician whose life takes on a whole new meaning while working on the set of Billy Wilder’s film Fedora.”
Waltz will play the legendary director known for classic films such as Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard and The Apartment. Turturro will play his lifelong friend and screenwriting partner I.A.L. Diamond. Hamm will play famed actor William Holden.
The story “starts out during a heady Greek summer, and sees Calista fall in love with cinema and life on a journey of self-discovery. Thrilled by her new adventure, Calista follows Wilder to Munich and Paris to continue the shoot with leading actor William Holden, and experiences her first love. Realising his star is on the wane, Wilder navigates the changing world of cinema in the twilight of his career, while Calista’s career is just beginning. The time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her forever.”
The script for the film comes from two-time Oscar winner Christopher Hampton (The Father) with Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) producing. The movie will go into production in early 2025 in Greece, where it will make use of some of the Greek locations originally used by Wilder.
Frears said in a statement: “This is the most wonderful project. Wilder was sharp, clever and very very funny. And he directed Marilyn Monroe twice! Christoph Waltz will be magnificent. I always go by the script and this one is terrific.”
Hampton added: “Wilder And Me is the story of veteran film-makers in the 1970s, beginning to realise the extent of the changes within the industry and the ways in which they have failed to move with the times; it’s about the memories that haunt an émigré on his return to the boneyard of Europe; and it shows how an open-minded younger generation can draw inspiration from the giants of the past.”
Producer Jeremy Thomas commented: “Billy Wilder has filled us all with the joy of cinema with some of the most memorable movies ever made. Told through the eyes of a young woman on the set of one of Billy’s last films, our story shows why they still hold so much magic.”
Producer Gabrielle Stewart went on to say: “It is always exciting to announce such a big package with award winning talent both in front and behind the camera such as Waltz, Turturro, Frears and Hampton. And at its heart, Maya Hawke is the perfect actress to take us on a magical journey of self-discovery and first love on the set of a legendary film director.”
The film is based on Jonathan Coe’s novel Mr Wilder and Me.
Source: Deadline