The Son - What We Know So Far
After the success of "The Father," French playwright-filmmaker Florian Zeller is moving on to his next project, titled "The Son."
"The Father" — which starred Anthony Hopkins as an aging man struggling with dementia and Olivia Colman as his worried daughter — is based on Zeller's play of the same name. Zeller made his directorial debut for a film with "The Father" and co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Hampton. It was a critical success and earned several Oscar nominations, two of which were won — Hopkins for Best Actor and Zeller and Hampton for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Now, on the heels of an Oscar win, Zeller is back to filmmaking — and, again, turning to his own work for source material. His next film, "The Son," is based on his play of the same name, which ran at the Kiln Theatre in London in early 2019 (via The Guardian). "The Son" follows a divorced couple, who must come together to best help their troubled teenage son. To bring this story to the screen, Zeller is collaborating with Hampton once again on the screenplay.
Here's everything else we know so far about "The Son."
When will The Son be released?
As of now, there's been no release date announced for "The Son." However, we do know that filming is slated to begin sometime this summer in New York City, as reported by First Post.
We also know that Zeller was eager to get straight back into work after his Oscar win — and immediately had "The Son" in mind for his next project. In March this year, before the Oscar ceremony even happened, Zeller spoke to Deadline about his next steps. Zeller said, "Now I know that ['The Son'] is the story I want to tell [next] as a film. It's pretty clear in my mind. The only thing that I want to do actually, is to do 'The Son' ... I'm finishing the script right now."
The filmmaker also told First Post, "'The Son' is a story that is very important to me. I have been working on it for many months and I am very happy to be able to bring together the actors that I admire and that I love, to be able to tell it."
Who will be in The Son?
Speaking of those actors Zeller admires and is excited to work with ... who will be in the cast of "The Son"? Nabbing some big names in Hollywood right now, the announced cast currently consists of Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, and Vanessa Kirby.
Both Dern and Kirby have had recent Oscar nods themselves, with Kirby earning a nomination for her leading role in 2020's "Pieces of a Woman" and Dern winning the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for her performance in 2019's "Marriage Story." Veteran actor Jackman also has an Oscar nomination under his belt, for 2013's "Les Misérables."
Zeller, for one, couldn't be more pleased with the cast so far. Upon the news of Jackman's and Dern's casting, he said in a statement, "Both Hugh and Laura naturally convey great warmth, compassion, and vulnerability... inviting our audience to embrace and feel every moment" (via Variety). And with the more recent announcement of Kirby's casting, Zeller said, "Vanessa Kirby is for me a very great actress: intense, inventive and powerful. I am especially happy to take her on this cinematic adventure" (via The Hollywood Reporter).
What will The Son be about?
The film will center on Peter (Jackman), who is settling in with his new partner Emma (Kirby) and their newborn baby when his ex-wife Kate (Dern) reaches out to him. Peter's and Kate's son, 17-year-old Nicholas, is going through a troublesome time. Angry and distant, he's been acting out and has recently expressed the wish to live with his father instead. But when Nicholas's state turns out to be more intense than initially thought, Peter will face extreme difficulty in caring for his son and keeping his family together.
"The Son" is the next installment, after "The Father," of a thematic trilogy Zeller has created with three of his plays (the third being "The Mother," which may make it to the screen eventually as well) exploring intimate familial relations. About "The Son," Zeller said, "'The Son' is a deeply human story which, I believe, connects us all; I hope audiences will be profoundly moved by this family's journey" (via Variety).
If "The Father" is any indication, "The Son" will be a compelling, touch story that plays out through stunning visuals. We can't wait to see "The Son" come to fruition.