Demian Bichir, Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe will headline Bel Canto
Academy Award winner Julianne Moore (Suburbicon, Still Alice) will star alongside Oscar nominees Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai) and Demián Bichir (The Hateful Eight, A Better Life) in the upcoming Bel Canto. Paul Weitz (Mozart in the Jungle, Grandma) will direct the project and has adapted the screenplay with Anthony Weintraub (Tekkonkinkreet) from Ann Patchett’s international best-seller of the same name.
Bel Canto offers a love story set against a backdrop of immortal music and mortal danger, which sees Roxane Coss (Moore), a famous American soprano, travel to a military dictatorship in South America to give a private concert at the birthday party of rich Japanese industrialist Katsumi Hosokawa (Watanabe). Just as a handsome gathering convenes the house is taken over by guerrillas, led by General Benjamin (Bichir) demanding the release of their imprisoned comrades. A month long standoff ensues in which hostages and captors must overcome their differences and find their shared humanity in the face of impending disaster.
Academy Award nominee Caroline Baron (Capote, Monsoon Wedding) and Anthony Weintraub will produce Bel Canto through their company A-Line Pictures alongside Paul Weitz and Andrew Miano (A Single Man, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) through their production shingle Depth of Field.
“I read the Bel Canto novel many years ago and have always believed it would translate naturally to the big screen,” says BLOOM’s Alex Walton. “The book has a large loyal global fan base which I am confident will be delighted to see our wonderful cast bring this story to life.”
BLOOM will commence international sales at the Toronto International Film Festival. WME Global is selling the U.S. rights.
(Photo Credit: Brian To / Joseph Marzullo / FayesVision / WENN.com)
