EXCLUSIVE: Here’s some fun casting. Three-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Oscar nominee Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) and recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) are teaming up on comedy movie Art.
This is an English-language adaptation of the popular play of the same name by French playwright Yasmina Reza and it has attracted a great team. Moura’s fellow Brazilian Oscar nominee Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Two Popes) is aboard to direct. Multiple Oscar winner Christopher Hampton (The Father) has adapted.
The play deals with art and friendship. It follows three long-time friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan. Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting, with some slightly-less white lines. Marc is horrified that Serge would waste such money on this, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes “art”. Their troubled friend, Yvan, finds himself caught in the middle of the conflict. He attempts to please and mollify both of them, but this only serves to make things worse.
Producers are Charles Finch (Priscilla) and Tracy Seaward (Philomena, The Queen). Patrick Wachsberger’s 193 is launching sales at the Cannes market.
The play opened in Paris in 1994 and has been staged in London’s West End, on Broadway and in Sydney, Australia. The show has attracted a host of well known actors. Most recently, a Broadway version starred Bobby Cannavale, James Corden and Neil Patrick Harris.
There have been talks behind the scenes for years about a potential movie version of the play and it is now coming together with a top team.
The project reunites Meirelles with Fiennes after they teamed on Oscar winner The Constant Gardner; and the director with Farrell after they collaborated on Apple series Sugar; the filmmaker has produced multiple projects starring Moura, including film VIPs.
Meirelles is in post on Netflix pic Here Comes the Flood, starring Robert Pattinson and Denzel Washington.
CAA Media Finance is repping domestic.
