Adam Driver-Starrer ‘Annette’ Revived, With Leos Carax Directing (EXCLUSIVE)
The Adam Driver-starrer “Annette,” Leos Carax’s long-gestating English-language romantic musical, is being revived. Charles Gillibert’s CG Cinema, whose credits include Kristen Stewart-starrer “Personal Shopper,” has come on board to help revive the on-again-off-again project, which will start shooting in mid-August. Amazon will release the film in the U.S.
Tracing the rise and fall of two star-crossed Hollywood lovers and the exceptional destiny of their daughter, “Annette” will bring together the rock band Sparks, which is composing original songs, and celebrated music producer Marius de Vries, who is known for his work on “La La Land,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Cats.”
Related stories
Janus Films to Release Olivier Assayas' 4K-Restored 'Cold Water' in the U.S. (EXCLUSIVE)
MK2 Clinches Deals on Assayas' Competition Player 'Sils Maria' (EXCLUSIVE)
CG Cinema will be producing “Annette” with Paul-Dominique Vacharasinthu at Tribus P Films. Co-producers include the French-German channel Arte, with Kenzo Horikoshi from Japan’s Eurospace, Fabian Gasmia from Germany’s Detail Film, and Geneviève Lemal and Benoît Roland from Belgium’s Scope Picture & Wrong Men.
Kinology will handle international sales on “Annette” in association with Logical Pictures. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal with Amazon for “Annette.”
Over the course of his 30-year career, Carax has garnered just a few directing credits, though his films have won attention for their artistic flair, including “Boy Meets Girl,” “Mauvais Sang,” “Les Amants du Pont Neuf” and “Holy Motors.” A passion project for Carax, “Annette” was first announced in 2016 with another French producer but failed to get off the ground as the financing was not in place.
CG Cinema, founded six years ago by Gillibert, is rolling off a stellar 2018 with Yann Gonzalez’s “Knife + Heart,” which competed at Cannes; Olivier Assayas’ “Non-Fiction,” which played at the Venice, Tribeca, Toronto and New York film festivals; Yolande Zauberman’s Locarno-winning “M”; and Bi Gan’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” which premiered at Un Certain Regard at Cannes and was a controversial box office hit in China.
CG Cinema’s current slate includes Assayas’ “Wasp Network,” a Cuba-set spy thriller produced with RT Features, starring Penelope Cruz, Pedro Pascal and Edgar Ramirez, which just wrapped shooting and is being sold by Orange Studio.
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
