Michelle Williams Joins Julianne Moore In Todd Haynes' 'Wonderstruck'

Manchester-By-The Sea2016 is marking a bit of comeback for Michelle Williams. After 2013’s "Oz The Great And Powerful," she only appeared in one other film, the still unreleased in the U.S. WWII drama "Suite Francaise." But this year she hit Sundance starring in two acclaimed movies, Kelly Reichardt‘s "Certain Women" and Kenneth Lonergan‘s "Manchester By The Sea." And now she’s adding another big auteur project to her schedule.

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The actress has joined Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes‘ "Wonderstruck." Based on "Hugo" author Brian Selznick‘s award-winning book, it tells a story split in two different time periods — 1927 and 1977 — that follows the interconnected lives of deaf children, Ben and Rose. Here’s the book synopsis: 

Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother’s room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

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Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories — Ben’s told in words, Rose’s in pictures — weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder.

Williams will play Ben’s mother in the movie, that will be produced and released by Amazon Studios. No word yet on when cameras will roll, but it sounds like it’s coming together to get going soon. It’ll mark Williams’ second film with Haynes following "I’m Not There," but he has also been the producer on the Reichardt films she’s made too, so their creative partnership goes deep, and it’ll be exciting to see what they conjure up here. [Variety]