This is the very first footage that’s been released of Pablo Larrain’s “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie. I’m digging Ed Lachman’s sultry photography. Not too sure about Jolie but would love to be proven wrong.
“Maria,” which is set to world premiere at Venice tomorrow, seemingly sets up Jolie as a potential Oscar contender — she’s playing famous opera singer Maria Callas. Larraín has described “Maria” as the conclusion to his trilogy of biopics about iconic historical women, the previous two were “Spencer” and “Jackie” — both garnered Oscar nominations for its lead actresses (Kristen Stewart and Natalie Portman).
Larrain’s film tackles the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic life of the “world’s greatest opera singer.” It’s all relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris, with black and white flashbacks recounting her past. Steven Knight (“Spencer,” “Peaky Blinders,” “Eastern Promises”) wrote the screenplay.
Jolie is joined by a supporting cast that includes Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. “Maria” currently has no U.S. distribution.