David Lowery’s ‘Mother Mary’ Granted Approval by SAG to Continue Filming

So, the indie takeover has begun in Hollywood.

As we speak, waivers are being given out to allow “truly independent projects” to continue filming with SAG members. As a result, SAG-AFTRA has granted approval to 39 independent productions to shoot during the strike, after confirming that they are not tied to AMPTP companies.

David Lowery’s upcoming A24 musical, “Mother Mary,” starring Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel and Hunter Schafer, will be one of the productions granted a SAG interim agreement to continue filming. A24 is not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, so they’re basically exempt. Lucky them.

I’m all for independent and foreign films taking over the reigns of cinema for a good while. Bring it on. Let the actors and writers strike for as long as they want, especially if it means there will be more emphasis on smaller-scaled films.

“Mother Mary” will be an epic pop melodrama following a fictional musician (Hathaway) and her relationship with an iconic fashion designer (Coel). The film started production in late May and is said to run until the end of July.

Apparently, production consists of thousands of extras, of all ages, for the musical numbers. So, not sure how “truly independent” this film actually is, but it’s good to know that some movies will still be getting made in the current Hollywood wasteland.

Lowery is very savvy at juggling his arthouse passion projects (“A Ghost Story” “The Green Knight”) with high-priced Disney movies (“Pete’s Dragon,” “Pan and Wendy”). This one belongs in the former.