Shot before “American Hustle,” but still unreleased, a big question mark remains stamped on Susanne Bier‘s “Serena” starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. We know that Steven Soderbergh watched some version of it in 2013, but since the first image dropped in 2012, there has been pretty much total silence. Late last year, reports surfaced that the movie had been quietly screening for distributors, but it says something that months later, there has been no official deal announced, even though heavyweights like The Weinstein Company and Fox Searchlight has been circling. So, is it a troubled production or just a director trying to get it right?
“Actually, it was just the opposite,” an unnamed source told THR about the 18-month post-production on the film. “There were no reshoots or anything like that. It was just a real precision edit because the story is about a woman’s descent into madness. And Susanne is a total perfectionist.”
Until we know more, a batch of new images from the film have been dug up online, showing off more of the Depression-era tale. Based on the novel by Ron Rash, the story centers on George Pemberton and his new bride, Serena, as they set out to North Carolina to create a timber empire. Their successful, ruthless reign in the mountains becomes complicated when Serena discovers her inability to bear children, setting her on a vengeful path against George’s illegitimate son.
The material and premise certainly sound great, but again, there’s no distributor or release date set yet, though a random “The Hunger Games” fansite claims it will drop on September 27th. Until there’s more news, check out the images below. [Richard Bridgland and HungerGames.net via The Film Stage]
