The art of the biopic has persisted in public conscience for a reason. Its endless reinventions and narrative possibilities pulls from scores of history, irrespective of one's pre-existing lore. In the words of one Kamala Harris: "You exist in the context of what came before you."
And indeed we do. Onassis. Kennedy. Monroe. And now, Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas. Pablo Larraín's latest film venture is a moving autobiography of the American-born Greek soprano singer, who became one of the most reputed opera singers of our time. And this just in: the film will indeed be going to air from our very own screens. Below, we take you through everything you need to know about the upcoming film.
What is Maria about?
Though the official synopsis leaves much to the imagination, we do know that the film will focus on Callas' final days in Paris. The film drew in a standing ovation at its world premiere, and knowing Larraín's reverie-laced depictions, we can imagine the same lens of elegiac, feminine grief and infamy to infuse his latest work.
On the film, the director has said: “It is a creative imagining and psychological portrait of Maria Callas who, after dedicating her life to performing for audiences around the world, decides finally to find her own voice, her own identity, and sing for herself. I’m deeply honoured to tell this story and share it with audiences worldwide like Maria did with her life.”
Who else is starring in Maria?
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino and Valeria Golino star alongside Jolie in the film.
Who produced the biopic?
The film is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Lorenzo Mieli and Jonas Dornbach alongside production companies The Apartment (a Fremantle Company), Fabula and Komplizen & Fremantle.
Who has acquired the rights to stream Maria?
After a lengthy bidding war, distributing giant Netflix has officially acquired the rights to stream Maria across the United States. This concludes the triptych of other Larraín biopics like Spencer and Jackie that currently live on Netflix.
When will the biopic be released?
Following the world premiere at Venice Film Festival on the 29th of August, we can expect the movie to land on Netflix at a later date. As always, the second we know more, we'll keep you in the loop here.
