Angelina Jolie to Star as Opera Singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's Maria

Pablo Larraín is setting his sights to another famous woman in the 20th century: opera singer Maria Callas. Following Spencer, about Princess Diana, and Jackie, about former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Maria will reimagine the "tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story" of Maria Callas's final days in Paris in the 1970s.

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Angelina Jolie will star as the American-born Greek soprano, who died at age 53 of a heart attack. "I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all I can to meet the challenge,” Jolie said in a statement. "Pablo Larraín is a director I have long admired. To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream." Screenwriter Steven Knight is perhaps best known for creating Peaky Blinders, and also worked with Larraín on Spencer.

"Having the chance to combine my two most deep and personal passions, cinema and opera, has been a long-awaited dream. To do this with Angelina, a supremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift," Larraín said.

Larraín's last two leading ladies, Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart, each earned Best Actress nominees at the Oscars for their performances in Jackie and Spencer, respectively. Maria will be Larraín's tenth feature film.

Jolie is currently in post-production on her fifth film as a director, Without Blood. The last film she starred in was The Eternals, a superhero film from Marvel directed by Chloé Zhao.

There's no word yet on when Maria will film, or any release date. We'll update this as soon as we learn more.

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