Ever since Olivia Wilde made her directorial debut on “Booksmart” last year, film fans have been anxiously awaiting her next project behind the camera. We just assumed we’d have to wait a while for her next feature before we see Wilde step into the director’s chair. However, thanks to a new short film, “Wake Up,” Wilde is giving fans a chance to see what else she can do as a helmer.
In the new trailer for “Wake Up” (via People), we see that the director has teamed up with up-and-coming actress Margaret Qualley for a new short that seems to blend music, dance, and some unique imagery to tell a story of a hospital patient that wakes up and is desperately trying to connect with the world.
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“It was such a thrill to collaborate with Margaret Qualley to tell this story about what it means to be human,” Wilde said. “With legendary cinematographer Matty Libatique and the rest of our extraordinary crew, I had the chance to make something wild and strange and timely.”
As Wilde says, the short features the work of acclaimed cinematographer Libatique. He’s probably best known for his work “Black Swan” and 2018’s “A Star is Born.” Both of those films earned the DP an Oscar nomination. His next feature film is the upcoming superhero team-up, “Birds of Prey,” which hits theaters in a couple of weeks.
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This is not the first time that Qualley actually starred in a short. Years ago, she worked with director Spike Jonze on a short, which much like “Wake Up,” features the actress using her formal dance training. As for her recent film work, many readers will recognize her from 2019 films such as “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and the underseen “Donnybrook.”
Wilde is coming off a huge 2019, where she made waves thanks to her directorial debut work in “Booksmart.” She’s currently working on a new film with her “Booksmart” writer, Katie Silberman, titled “Don’t Worry, Darling.”
“Wake Up” is set to have its premiere in Park City, during this year’s Sundance Film Festival. You can watch the trailer for the short below.
