Acclaimed French actress Bérénice Bejo, who received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nom for her breakout role as Peppy Miller in The Artist, has joined Cosmopolis star Robert Pattinson in the upcoming post-WWI biopic The Childhood of a Leader.
The feature directorial debut of Brady Corbet, who appeared in the supporting role of Piers Roaldson in Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, The Childhood of a Leader takes a look at the early days of a ruler who would rise to power following World War I. Pattinson will play the titular leader.
Bejo will take on the key role of the leader’s mother, replacing Juliette Binoche after scheduling conflicts forced that actress to disembark. Tim Roth and Michael Epp also star in the film. It will be just one more meaty part for Bejo, who has drawn raves for her post-Artist performances in The Past, for which she won the 2013 Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Search, on which she reteamed with her Artist director and off-screen husband Michel Hazanavicius.
Corbet, who also penned the script with Mona Fastvold, plans to get shooting under way in Budapest this November. With Pattinson, Bejo and Roth involved, it wouldn’t be surprising if The Childhood of a Leader arrives in the midst of awards season in late 2015. We don’t have any more information about the plot other than what is listed above, but which leader do you think Corbet’s film will focus on? One from history, or a figure of his own creation? Sound off below!