Even the star of a major action franchise has to take off his spandex every once in awhile, and Andrew Garfield is no exception. While Sony has plans to stretch The Amazing Spider-Man far into the future, Garfield is supplementing his web-slinging with some good, old-fashioned, serious roles. The latest project he’s attached himself to is The Woman In Gold, which he will star in alongside Helen Mirren.
The Woman In Gold features Mirren as Maria Altmann, a woman in her 80s who attempts to track down five paintings that were looted by the Nazis. The real-life Altmann was a Jewish refugee and the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, whose wife Adele posed for Gustav Klimt’s “The Lady in Gold.” Altmann fought hard to locate and restore the looted paintings, leading to conflict with the Austrian government. Garfield will play her lawyer Randol Schoenberg, who goes up against the government in the form of one of their officials (Daniel Bruhl).
While I do not think we can fault Garfield for his continued association with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, which Sony intends to milk for all it’s worth, it is nonetheless pleasant to see that he’s going to take some more serious roles as well. He’s already set on going to Taiwan this summer to film Martin Scorsese’s Silence, and has the indie drama 99 Homes premiering later this year. So, Garfield is striking a balance between his big budget roles and some smaller, potentially more interesting parts.
Production on The Woman In Gold is set to begin this summer, which will presumably not conflict with the filming of Silence. Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) will direct.
You can let us know what you think about Garfield’s current slate of films by leaving a comment below. Does The Woman In Gold sound like fun?
