Miramax and Pathe are near deals to partner in Cheri, an adaptation of the 1920s novel by French author Colette about the lingering effects of a romance between a middle-aged woman and a wealthy young man, says Variety.
In what shapes up as a Dangerous Liaisons re-team, Christopher Hampton wrote the script, Stephen Frears will direct and Michelle Pfeiffer is negotiating to star.
Miramax is said to be wrapping up a deal to control North American rights for a commitment near $7.5 million. Pathe will control overseas territories, mirroring the arrangement the two companies had on the last Frears-directed film, The Queen.
Colette set her book in 1920s Paris, where the young son of a wealthy courtesan is educated in the ways of love by a middle-aged friend of the man’s mother. When he is forced to give up the six-year relationship after marrying someone else, the young man can’t forget her and retreats into a fantasy world.
The movie will start filming in April in France and London.
