Jessica Chastain Is The Darling

Back in 2004 Martin Scorsese was set to make a film adaptation of Russell Banks’ novel The Darling, after The Aviator, with Cate Blanchett starring. One thing led to another though and eventually, it fell through. Now, Banks has confirmed that though Scorsese and Blanchett are no longer part of the film, 2011’s biggest star, Jessica Chastain, is.

In an interview between Banks and The Calgary Hearld, it was confirmed that Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is set to direct and that Jessica Chastain will take on the lead role of Hannah Musgrave.

Denis Villeneuve is the director behind the 2010 film Incendies, which of course was nominated for Best Foreign Language Picture at last year’s Oscars. For the novel to attract the attention of Martin Scorsese and Cate Blanchett, it must be pretty amazing and I’m happy to see that it has once again found a director and leading actress.

For those unfamiliar with it, you can check out the plot summary below.

“The story is about Hannah Musgrave, a member of the politically radical Weather Underground who is pursued by the FBI. On the run, she escapes to the Aftican nation of Liberia and marries Woodrow Sundiata, a Cabinet Minister of that country. She also creates a sanctuary for chimpanzees. The story is set against twenty-five years of political struggle and civil war in Liberia.”

It is unclear when The Darling will start filming, but at the moment Chastain’s schedule consists of finishing Andres Muschietti‘s Mama, then onto Joseph Kosinski’s Horizons next year and then possibly the Princess Diana biopic Caught In Flight.

So like I said, where this will fit in is not known as of yet but it’s definitely a project I’m looking forward to and will continue to keep my eye on.

As always, we’ll keep you updated as more news surfaces.