A major move by new film head Dan Lin bolsters Netflix's awards season lineup, with the streaming company acquiring U.S. rights to “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Pablo Larraín, ahead of its world premiere in Venice on Thursday.
Directed by Chilean director Larraín from a screenplay by Steven Knight, the film is described as a portrait of the creative imagination and psychology of legendary soprano Maria Callas, set in the 1970s near the end of her life when she lost her voice and attempted to regain it.
The cast includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino and Valeria Golino.
“I am thrilled to be working again with the Netflix team who are so passionate about film. This film is my most personal work to date,” said Larraín.
He continued: “This is a creative, imaginative and psychological portrait of Maria Callas, who, after a life dedicated to performing in front of audiences around the world, finally decided to find her own voice, her own identity, and sing for herself. I am truly honored to be able to tell this story and share it with audiences around the world, just as Maria did with her own life.”
Peaky Blinders creator Knight collaborated with Larraín on Spencer, a psychological portrait of Diana Spencer starring Kristen Stewart that premiered at Venice three years ago, while Larraín's psychological portrait of Jackie Kennedy, Jackie, premiered at the Lido in 2016.
The producers of Maria are Juan de Dios Larraín, Lorenzo Mieli and Jonas Dornback. The production companies are The Apartment, Fabula, Komplizen and Fremantle.
Further details regarding the timing and duration of theatrical releases eligible for the awards, as well as when the films will premiere on the platform, will be announced in the coming days.
FilmNation represents worldwide rights.
This is Larraín's second film for Netflix, following last year's awards-nominated “El Conde,” which earned cinematographer Ed Lachman an Oscar nomination and who reteamed with Larraín on “Maria.”
The new film marks the seventh production partnership between the Larraín brothers' production company Fabula and Netflix, whose previous collaborations also include Maite Alberdi's new film “In Her Place.”
