For years, French filmmaker Leos Carax has been threatening to make the English-language romantic musical “Annette” as his next project. The film went into pre-production back in 2016, but perhaps that was premature as the film never surfaced. A few months before that, Rooney Mara and Adam Driver were rumored for lead roles. Mara may have flirted with the part, but it never turned out in the end. Then Michelle Williams was cast in the role, but it appears, she’s dropped out too. The good news, they’ve found a super replacement in Marion Cotillard. Variety reports “Annette” starts shooting this summer.
Here’s the official synopsis that was revealed some years back.
ANNETTE is a musical feature which centers around a stand-up comedian (Adam Driver) whose opera singer wife (Marion Cotillard) is deceased. He finds himself alone with his 2-year-old daughter, Annette, who has a surprising gift.
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Carax has been trying to get “Annette” off the ground for several years, and obviously, the production has been delayed more than once. His last film was 2012’s “Holy Motors” which featured some of its own musical sequences and topped many a best-of year-end list that year. Carax is also known for 1991’s “The Lovers on the Bridge” with Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant and 1999’s “Pola X” starring Guillaume Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve.
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Theatrical L.A. art-pop band Sparks are composing the score with celebrated music producer Marius de Vries, who is known for his work on “La La Land,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Cats.” Almost like an underground, more subversive version of Queen with a wicked sense of humor, Sparks is going through a late-career renaissance of late. Bands like Franz Ferdinand have lauded them in recent years, and filmmaker Edgar Wright is working on a documentary about the group.
Amazon Studios acquired the rights to “Annette” back in 2017 and will release the picture in the U.S. Cotillard recently dropped out of Simon Kinberg’s spy movie “355.” Maybe the chance to star in a Carax musical is more enticing.