Actress Jessica Chastain, one of the first stars announced in the cast of The Death and Life ofXavier Dolan’s John F. Donovan , will not be part of the film. His character Moira McCallister-King, vamp assumed the tabloids, was cut from editing.
The filmmaker himself made the announcement Sunday night in a long note posted on his Instagram account. The director, who is in post-production of his first American film, said he wanted to take the lead to avoid “all kinds of sordid or useless interpretations”.
He took great care to say that it was not the actress or his work that was lacking but rather that his character had difficulty in his place in history.
He writes: “This” wicked “plot, although I was particularly fond of it and it was very funny, fit painfully into the rest of the story, which finally turned out to be more than a joust between superheroes and enemies, a story about childhood and its dreams. ”
Mr. Dolan acknowledges that his choice was “extremely difficult” and expressed his “deep love” and admiration for the actress.
The screenplay for The Death and Life of John F. Donovan relates the story of a young British man who, ten years after the death of a Hollywood star he admired, remembers the match that both have maintained. However, the exposure by a journalist gossip has led to the bottom of the big Hollywood star.
Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Kathy Bates Susan Sarandon and many others play in this production, some of which were shot in Montreal.
In his text, Mr. Dolan recounted having worked full time on the editing of the film since May 2017. The first version, he says, was four hours long. “We loved each of the scenes together, but knew that some thought had to be given to the form and content of the film.”
Saying he’s hypnotized by DC Comics or Marvel movies, Mr. Dolan says, “I was trying to tell the story of an incredibly popular actor, a kind of hero, through the lens of Batman or Thor’s films. A hero, a villain, an audience to protect … It was, for a moment – even years, even – the idea of our history.
Remember that writers and directors must know how to confront their work, he also states that “no sacrifice is unthinkable, no compromise is unthinkable, for the success of a story that we love.”
We do not know yet where and when the film will be shown. “But, between you and me, the sooner the better,” says the director who greets his Instagram followers warmly.