09/10/2023 - The Hollywood megastar will play the equally iconic Greek soprano singer Maria Callas, in a Chilean co-production set up with Italy and Germany

Actress Angelina Jolie on the set of Maria (© Fremantle)

Following El Conde’s eerie evocation of a vampiric Pinochet, now we confirm that Pablo Larraín hasn’t left celebrity diva biopics behind. Production is set to begin soon this month on Maria, the Chilean director’s new film on Maria Callas, known as La Divina and one of the most revered opera singers of the 20th century. Angelina Jolie, one of the world’s most recognisable actresses, is a casting coup in the title role, whilst she’s joined by a murderers’ row of talent in supporting parts: Valeria Golino, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher and Kodi Smit-McPhee, with the Winter Sleep [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
film profile] lead Haluk Bilginer recently joining to play Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, her partner towards the end of her life.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Originally born in New York to Greek-immigrant parents, she received her musical training after returning to Greece, and battled through 1940s wartime poverty to establish herself later in Italy as a bel canto star; later on, her life was ridden by scandal, tragedy and her struggle with near-sightedness. The movie, as per the official logline, will tell “the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris”. So whilst we can expect something positively lacquered in prestige and class – but of course with a bit of an edge – as we saw in Jackie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Spencer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Maria (written by Steven Knight, who also penned the latter film) will traverse larger portions of her life, rather than being confined to a precise timespan like the others.

Callas possessed a tremulous, emotive soprano range that will definitely be aurally familiar to viewers, given the abundance of classic opera “cues” in various cinema and media. It’s an instrument that feels like it could shatter glass, in the time-honoured cliché, yet it has a stirring, grandiose quality. Those interested can dig deeper on streaming services or YouTube.

The film will be produced by Juan de Dios Larraín for Chile’s Fabula, Lorenzo Mieli for Italy’s The Apartment Pictures (a Fremantle company) and Jonas Dornbach for Germany’s Komplizen Film. Several sources list the UAE as another co-production territory. With its autumn shoot, a premiere at Venice, where Jackie and Spencer (not to mention El Conde, which recently won the Best Screenplay Award) were unveiled, could be on the cards again.