Sam Taylor-Johnson has assembled an impressive cast for her next feature film, “Rothko,” which is set in the art world. The ensemble cast includes Russell Crowe, as well as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aisling Franciosi, and Jared Harris.
The film is written by Lara Wood, and is adapted from the book “The Legacy of Mark Rothko” by Lee Seldes. “Rothko” focuses on the true story of Kate Rothko’s “David vs Goliath” fight against a corrupt elite in order to protect her late father’s legacy, and bring his art back to the people. Crowe is set to play world-renowned abstract painter Mark Rothko, while Franciosi will play Kate Rothko. Jared Freedman, David Silverton, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson will produce the film, while Jonathan Schwartz and Logan Lerman are executive producing.
Filming is expected to start this summer, but in the meantime, the project has already attracted a strong production team that includes Oscar-winner Colleen Atwood (“Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them“) as costume designer, cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth (“Gone Girl“) and production designer Mark Friedberg (“Joker“).
Rothko was a celebrated American painter who didn’t really fit any art movement, but is nevertheless identified as an abstract expressionist. After his suicide at age 67, 19-year-old Kate became both an orphan, and a mother to her younger brother. After turning to her father’s closest friends for guidance, she “discovers these men have put in place an elaborate scheme to sell Mark Rothko’s art fraudulently, she moves heaven and earth to prevent this blatant abuse of her father’s trust,” according to the film’s official synopsis.
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“Rothko is not just a movie about the great artist, but rather a timeless story about right versus wrong,” said Sam Taylor-Johnson. “It’s Kate Rothko’s journey to protect the seminal paintings from the corrupt men who betrayed her father and stole his art; it is a reckoning with men in positions of power who try everything to destroy her father’s legacy.”
