It seems good fortune just keeps raining down on wunderkind Xavier Dolan. This spring, he hit Cannes with “Mommy,” a movie nearly everyone fell in love with (we certainly did), and walked away from the Croisette with the Jury Prize (with some arguing it deserved the Palme d’Or). He also used his time in France to announce his English language debut, “The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan,” and now he’s nabbed a pretty big name for a leading role.
Our friends over at Bent report that Jessica Chastain is joining Dolan’s film, and it’s no coincidence, as she was a big fan of “Mommy” (see below). And it led to Dolan to reaching out to the actress.
“It dawned on me that I should ask Jessica about playing the ‘villain’ role in ‘John F. Donovan,'” Dolan told Bent. “There is this character of the editor-in-chief of a gossip magazine. The movie really is a satire of the business — more dramatic than humorous. And there’s this antagonistic figure that wants to ruin the lives of ever star, especially that of the lead character. And I reached out to Jessica and she read the script. She loved it, and we got along like hotcakes. That’s basically it. I can already foresee all the pleasure we’ll have working together.”
So, Dolan and Chastain sticking it to the industry? Yep, we’re in and across his films to date, Dolan’s unique vision and playful spirit has resulted in movies that refuse to be boxed, so we’re very excited to see what he cooks up here with Chastain. Production will begin in 2015.
Completely blown away by @XDolan. His film, MOMMY was so impressive
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) May 22, 2014
