It appears Xavier Dolan has been busier than expected as not only is he preparing to shoot The Death and Life of John F. Donovan this fall, but Seville Films announced today he’ll begin shooting It’s Only the End of the World (Just la Fin du Monde) in May, following his duties as a member of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival jury.
Inspired by the play by Jean-Luc Lagarce, the film will tell the story of a writer (assumed to be Vincent Cassel) who goes back to his hometown, planning on announcing his upcoming death to his family. As resentment soon rewrites the course of the afternoon, all attempts of empathy are sabotaged by people’s incapacity to listen and love. Making up this cast along with Cassel are Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Nathalie Baye (who starred in Dolan’s Laurence Anyways) and Gaspard Ulliel.
“I’m absolutely thrilled about It’s Only the End of the World, especially for the work with the actors,” Dolan said. “It is my utmost priority and most visceral passion to work with inspiring talent on set and not only direct them, but, as an actor-director, act with and through them, even from the other side of the mirror.”
At this point I can only hope Dolan is able to get End of the World finished for a Toronto Film Festival premiere, which is when he’ll probably be busy with The Death and Life of John F. Donovan starring Jessica Chastain, Kathy Bates, Susan Sarandon and Kit Harington. Gotta say, these are two films to be looking out for, both with stellar casts and with Dolan at the helm it’s hard not to be excited.
