Oscar winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren (“La La Land”, “Saltburn”, “Babylon”) is lensing Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” which recently wrapped production in New York City.
Lindgren is the latest DP to partake in a Baumbach production. They keep changing. The most recent ones included Lol Crawley (“White Noise”), Robbie Ryan (“Marriage Story,” “The Meyerowitz Stories”), and Sam Levy (“Mistress America”). Now, it’s the highly talented Sandgren’s turn.
Star-studded doesn’t even begin to describe “Jay Kelly”. After his $150M+ Netflix gamble, “White Noise,” failed to launch, Baumbach is giving the streaming giant the kind of project that they most desire: a romcom set in NYC and London.
“Jay Kelly” is set to star George Clooney and Adam Sandler as the leads. The rest of the cast includes Greta Gerwig, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Emily Mortimer, Isla Fisher, Jim Broadbent and Riley Keough.
The Netflix-produced movie, an ensemble piece, is being described as a “funny and emotional coming-of-age story about adults.”
Baumbach is directing the film based on a screenplay he co-wrote with actress Emily Mortimer, who has become a close family friend. Mortimer previously wrote and directed the BBC series “The Pursuit of Love.” It’s interesting to note that Brad Pitt originally had the Clooney role but bailed out due to his commitment with Joseph Kosinski’s $200M Formula One film, which is still shooting.
”Jay Kelly” is set to be Baumbach’s fourth film with Netflix, as they also distributed “White Noise” “Marriage Story,” and “The Meyerowitz Stories.” Some of Baumbach’s other notable films include his two best films, “The Squid and the Whale,” “France Ha,” and “Greenberg.”
Last month, Venice Film Festival boss Alberto Barbera hinted that “Jay Kelly” would most likely premiere on the lido in 2025.