Following her Palme d’Or winning legal drama, “Anatomy Of A Fall,” French filmmaker Justine Triet quickly went from admired writer/director to much-coveted Academy Award nominee. ‘Anatomy’ was only her second feature-length film in competition at Cannes, following 2019’s “Sibyl,” but it launched her into the stratosphere afterward, earning five Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture and Best Director (Triet also set a record this year, becoming the first female French filmmaker to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay).
So, as usually is the case after such accolades, the world is your oyster, and everyone wants to work with you. And according to an excerpt of an interview in French magazine L’OBs, she’s been offered to direct an adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel “Monica,” with Cate Blanchett attached to star.
Here’s the excerpt in question (through Google Translate):
Today, [she] is being asked, among other things, to direct the adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ dizzying graphic novel “Monica” with Cate Blanchett. She didn’t follow up. At least, not yet.
Clowes’ “Monica” is relatively new and came out in October 2023. Described as a “genre-bending thriller,” the graphic novel is a series of interconnected stories about the title character. Here’s the official synopsis:
Monica is a series of interconnected narratives that collectively tell the life story — actually, stories — of its title character. Clowes calls upon a lifetime of inspiration to create the most complex and personal graphic novel of his distinguished career. Rich with visual detail, an impeccable ear for language and dialogue, and thrilling twists, Monica is a multilayered masterpiece in comics form that alludes to many of the genres that have defined the medium — war, romance, horror, crime, the supernatural, etc. — but in a mysterious, uncategorizable, and quintessentially Clowesian way that rewards multiple readings. Five years in the making, Monica marks the apex of creativity from one of the defining voices of the graphic novel boom over the past quarter-century.
In the world of film, Clowes’ books are probably best remembered in the adaptations of “Ghost World” (2001) and “Art School Confidential” (2006), both directed by Terry Zwigoff.
It’s unclear, obviously, if she’ll take the gig based on that vague excerpt. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a magazine has accidentally or prematurely revealed a project or its intentions before.
Given that Triet clearly has options and offers coming at her and is being asked about who she would like to work with, one of the people who came up on a recent red-carpet appearance was Jennifer Lawrence.
“I love her […],” Triet said in a TikTok clip (see below). “I waited in line with her to go to the bathroom at the Golden Globes. I find her great in a lot of movies; she’s incredible in ‘Mother!’”
While some of this may not amount to much, don’t underestimate how much the Oscar and Palme has elevated her stature among those in Hollywood. While it may or may not direct Blanchett in this film, don’t be surprised if she’s fielding tons of similar offers from actors who suddenly want to work with her—this is precisely what happens to an international entity that breaks out at Cannes or the Academy Awards (see Bong Jooh Ho and his “Parasite” Oscar win for a recent example, though to be fair, Hollywood had come knocking several years before that too).