It looks like Pamela Anderson‘s late-career renaissance will continue. Deadline reports that a new project starring the “Top Gun” actress is on its way to the Cannes market: “Maitreya,” a comedy also starring pop icon, Blondie front-woman Debbie Harry.
From the synopsis Deadline has, the film sounds like a family dramedy set in the New Age Healing world. Read for yourself: ““Maitreya (Anderson), a rising star in the New Age Healing community, who is about to head off to a conference in India, when she receives a call from her estranged sister, Monica: their father is dying. Rather than stay home with him, Maitreya decides to bring her entire family – including her mother Barbara (Harry) – to the conference and put her New Age healing theories to the test (all while surreptitiously gathering material for her next book).”
“Portlandia” alum Jonathan Krisel will direct a script by Samuel D. Hunter for “Maitreya.” Caviar finances the picture, with Bert Hamelinck, Michael Sagol, and Allison Hironaka producing via the banner, along with Danica Radovanov. Fortitude International will launch the film’s international sales at Cannes, with CAA and UTA Independent Film Group co-repping North America.
“Maitreya” comes on the heels of several recent buzzy Anderson projects, including the aforementioned “Top Gun,” “The Last Showgirl” (which nabbed the actress a Golden Globe nod), as well as Karim Aïnouz‘s “Rosebush Pruning.” Other upcoming projects for Anderson include “Somedays,” “Place To Be,” and Michael Cera‘s upcoming directorial debut, with Steve Coogan and Jamie Dornan as co-stars.
Meanwhile, Harry hasn’t been a regular onscreen presence in decades, so her casting here is a pleasant surprise. Two of her best-known film roles are David Cronenberg‘s body horror classic “Videodrome,” and John Waters‘ “Hairspray.”
Here’s a press statement from Michael Sagol, producer and managing director at Caviar, about the upcoming project: “Being a part of bringing “Maitreya” to life with Jon and Sam has been so much fun already. After working together in the branded world for the past decade, now having the chance to produce Jon’s first feature film – a soulful exploration of a dysfunctional family, perfectly suited to his absurdist and distinctive comedic voice – makes us giddy with excitement!”
Shooting on “Maitreya” is scheduled to start at the end of the year, so let’s call it a 2028 release?
