Adèle Exarchopoulos Joins Zoë Kravitz in Megan Park’s ‘Die Alive’ for Apple

Back in May, an old-school Hollywood bidding war erupted over “Die Alive,” a spec script written and set to be directed by filmmaker Megan Park, with major studios and streamers—including Warner Bros., Sony, Universal, Apple, Amazon, and Netflix—vying for it despite no stars being attached.

Apple Original Films finally won the rights to “Die Alive,” which is “My Old Ass” writer-director Park’s next film. Insiders who gave the script a read called it “legit funny,” a comedy-drama compared to “Big Daddy” and “Stepmom” that follows a woman who discovers her older boyfriend has a wife and kids and is unexpectedly pulled into caring for them.

We now know who the two female leads will be. Zoë Kravitz had already joined the project in June, and it’s now being reported that Adèle Exarchopoulos, one of the most famous French actresses out there, has joined Kravitz—she’s presumably playing the wife.According to Deadline, this will mark Exarchopoulos’ “first American studio lead role.”

Exarchopoulos will of course forever be known for her lead turn opposite Léa Seydoux in Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme d’Or winner “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” released in 2013. Her other notable films include “Passages,” “The Animal Kingdom,” and “Zero F*cks Given.”

Much of the excitement around “Die Alive” traces back to Park’s breakout success with “My Old Ass,” the coming-of-age comedy that established her as a filmmaker to watch. Premiering at Sundance 2024, the film starred Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella and was built around a surreal, mushroom-fueled encounter with the lead character’s older self. It earned strong reviews and became a hit on Prime Video, which led to Park nabbing a DGA nomination for outstanding first-time theatrical feature, along with WGA and Indie Spirit Award nominations for screenplay.

All of this momentum is a major reason Apple now sees Park as a potential draw. It might also be why Exarchopoulos has decided to hop onboard a rare English-language film. We’ll see how “Die Alive” turns out for her, but given all the buzz about the spec script, this might turn out great.