According to Variety, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke and Oscar nominee Laura Linney have signed on to star in Ethan Hawke‘s next directorial feature, Wildcat, based on the life of Southern writer Flannery O’Connor. This marks Maya Hawke’s latest collaboration with her father after working together on Showtime’s acclaimed miniseries The Good Lord Bird.
“Maya has been working hard for years to put this project together, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to introduce a new generation of filmgoers to the genius of Flannery O’Connor,” Ethan Hawke said in a statement. “Her work explores themes important to all artists — the intersection of creativity and faith, the blurred relationship between imagination and reality.”
In addition, Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark), Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil), Philip Ettinger (First Reformed), Steve Zahn (White Lotus), Rafael Casal (Blindspotting), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), and Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher) have also joined the biographical drama.
Wildcat is being directed and produced by Ethan Hawke from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shelby Gaines. It is produced by Joe Goodman for Good Country Pictures, Ryan Hawke for Under the Influence Productions, and Cory Pyke for Renovo Media Group, along with Kevin Downes and Kingdom Story Company’s Jon Erwin and Daryl Lefever.
Maya Hawke, who is also executive producing, is set to portray the leading role of Flannery O’Connor. The film tells the story of how the struggling writer published her first novel. She gained recognition for her offbeat short fiction about faith and the American South. Some of her notable works are The Violent Bear It Away and Wise Blood.
Executive producers are Eric Groth and David Kingland of Renovo Media Group, who are also serving as financers. Production has already begun on the project in Louisville, Kentucky.
