While he’s obviously famous for his celebrated acting career, Ethan Hawke is still a notable writer/director, as well as an author, stage actor, and more. Having just finished up the docuseries, “The Last Movie Stars,” in 2022, Hawke’s latest narrative directorial effort is “Wildcat,” based on the short stories of writer Flannery O’Connor. The period film set during the 1950s stars his daughter Maya Hawke (“Asteroid City”) as O’Connor with a supporting cast that consists of Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Steve Zahn (“8-Bit Christmas”), Vincent D’Onofrio (“Full Metal Jacket”), Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza”), Rafael Casal (“Blindspotting”), Phillip Ettinger, and Levon Hawke.
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A feature adaptation of the Tennessee Williams (“A Streetcar Named Desire”) play of the same name, Hawke co-wrote the drama with Shelby Gaines, who the filmmaker also worked with on his next film “Camino Real.” However, it’s unclear when that drama will go in front of cameras, given Hawke recently signed up for a new FX series, “The Sensitive Kind.”
A synopsis of “Wildcat” provided by Oscilloscope Laboratories reads as follows:
In 1950, Flannery (Hawke) visits her mother Regina (Linney) in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at twenty-four years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father’s life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery to ultimately come to peace with her situation and heal a strained relationship with her mother.
“Wildcat” debuted at Telluride and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The Playlist’s review of the film said, “‘Wildcat’ should provide interest to audiences that have read and enjoyed O’Connor’s work and might even spur new readers to seek her stories out.”
Of course, Maya is best known for a supporting role in the series “Stranger Things” and recently playing a school teacher in Wes Anderson’s sci-fi drama “Asteroid City.”
“Wildcat” opens May 3 via Oscilloscope Laboratories. You can watch the new trailer below, and while you’re at it, check out the film’s poster.
