We already knew Jessica Chastain was starring in Xavier Dolan‘s next feature, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, with Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) taking on the title role, a character made famous for playing a Marvel-style superhero — whose life and career are turned upside-down when his private letters with an 11-year-old fan are exposed and made to look indecent by a villainous gossip columnist (Chastain). Now we have a couple more names joining the project.
THR brings word Oscar-winners Kathy Bates and Susan Sarandon have joined the cast with Bates playing Donovan’s high-powered manager, while Sarandon will play his mother.
Dolan told the site the two actresses were his first choice for the roles and that he printed out their headshots months ago in an effort to help visualize the project.
As for that plot, working from a script Dolan co-wrote with Jacob Tierney, Dolan said, “It’s not about Hollywood itself, it’s about the impact Hollywood has on your private life and how it can transform and distort your intimacy with others.”
He adds that the film will be a very private take on how family, and specifically mothers — both Sarandon’s role as Donovan’s mother and the yet-to-be cast role of the mother of Donovan’s 11-year-old pen pal — respond to their sons’ fame.
As anyone that reads this site knows, I’m a huge fan of Dolan’s work and whole-heartedly recommend you check out all of his films, and be on the lookout for his latest, Mommy, which begins playing in Los Angeles this weekend and will expand further over the course of the next few months. Here’s my A review.
