Justine Triet’s ‘Fonda’ Starts Shooting — Odessa A’Zion, Benedict Wong and Cherry Jones Added to the Cast

Following her Palme d’Or win — and Oscar for Best Original Screenplay — Justine Triet, the French filmmaker behind “Anatomy of a Fall,” has started shooting her next film, “Fonda,” which will mark her first fully English-language feature.

The cast already assembled included Mia Goth (“Pearl”), Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”), Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers”), Frank Dillane (“Urchin”), and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (“Candyman”).

We can now add four more performers (via Variety): Odessa A’zion (“Marty Supreme”), Cherry Jones (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) Benedict Wong (“Doctor Strange”), and Ewan Mitchell (“House of the Dragon”). Shooting is scheduled from April to June.

Goth, who was originally eyed for a supporting role, “impressed Triet so much” that she was offered the lead, with Janney and Scott landing the next major roles.

A few months back, I reported that Triet’s film would be set in a psychological facility — a tense, contained “huis clos” (closed-door) drama with crime elements woven through its psychological core. The film further explores the moral and psychological territory Triet has made her own.

The “Fonda” of the title has nothing to so with the legendary Hollywood family, which included Henry, Peter, and Jane, but rather refers to an “institution” central to the story.

Considerable attention has surrounded Triet’s ‘Anatomy’ follow-up, with major Hollywood figures said to be eager to collaborate. Triet confirmed that Steven Spielberg was among those who expressed interest. One possible direction involved adapting Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel “Monica,” a project that reportedly attracted Cate Blanchett as a potential lead. In the end, however, Triet chose “Fonda,” which the producers describe as offering a comparably rich and cerebral thriller landscape to “Anatomy.”

Before “Anatomy of a Fall,” Triet notably directed “Victoria” (2016) and “Sibyl” (2019). This next project will be her fifth feature.