If you’re making a film based on the life of actress Elizabeth Taylor, you may be tempted to focus on the more salacious aspects. Taylor, like many legendary Hollywood figures, had her fair share of tabloid-worthy news over the course of her decades-long career. However, in the new film, “A Special Relationship,” which is set to star Rachel Weisz, the film is going to take a look at another facet of Taylor’s legacy.
According to THR, Weisz has signed on to star in “A Special Relationship” and will portray Elizabeth Taylor in the film, which is written by Simon Beaufoy and directed by Bert & Bertie. Instead of the typical biopic angle of following the rise to fame of Oscar-winning actress Taylor, “A Special Relationship” is set to focus on her HIV/AIDS activism. The film will follow the era in Taylor’s life in the ‘80s when she becomes inspired by her new assistant Roger Wall and begins to fight against the AIDS/HIV epidemic of that era.
“Audiences are clearly fascinated by the private lives of iconic Hollywood stars,” said See-Saw Films’ Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, who are producing the film. “There is no one more iconic than Elizabeth Taylor, and Simon Beaufoy has written a role that shines a light on Elizabeth’s humor and humanity which will be beautifully brought to life through the extraordinary talents of Rachel Weisz.”
The added, “At its heart, ‘A Special Relationship’ is a story of friendship and what better way of guaranteeing that translates to the screen than trusting the directing talents of real-life best friends and creative collaborators Bert & Bertie. ‘Troop Zero’ dazzled audiences at Sundance and, like that film, ‘A Special Relationship’ is a celebration of how friendships can change people’s lives, and how Elizabeth helped change the world.”
As mentioned, the film is written by Beaufoy, who is probably best known for his work on films “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours.” He earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for “The Full Monty” and ended up winning the Oscar for the script for ‘Slumdog.’
“A Special Relationship” is set to be directed by the filmmaking duo of Bert & Bertie, who are best known for their recent film “Troop Zero,” which debuted at this year’s Sundance. Previous to that, the duo made their feature directorial debuts on the film “Dance Camp.”
