Elle Fanning is shifting from her Golden Globe nominated performance in Hulu’s The Big One to a film project about one of the most revered films of all time.
The 22-year-old actress signed on to play Oscar-nominated actress Ali McGraw in Francis and the Godfather, on the production of the 1972 classic, The Godfather.
Barry Levinson directs the film, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes drama of director Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel, widely regarded as one of the best films of all time.
New role: Elle Fanning is shifting from her Golden Globe nominated performance in Hulu’s The Big One to a film project about one of the most revered films of all time
Ali: The 22-year-old actress signed on to play Oscar-nominated actress Ali McGraw in Francis and the Godfather, on the production of the 1972 classic The Godfather
Although McGraw did not star in The Godfather, at the time she was married to Robert Evans, who was the head of production at Paramount during the filming of The Godfather.
She joins a first-class cast, including Oscar Isaac as Francis Ford Coppola, Jake Gyllenhaal as Evans and Elisabeth Moss as the director’s wife, Eleanor Coppola.
Filming is expected to take place this fall, although no distributors are currently installed.
Robert and Ali: Although McGraw did not star in The Godfather, at the time she was married to Robert Evans, who was the head of production at Paramount during the filming of The Godfather
New role: she joins a first-rate cast, including Oscar Isaac as Francis Ford Coppola, Jake Gyllenhaal as Evans and Elisabeth Moss as the director’s wife, Eleanor Coppola
“Elle is one of the most exciting and versatile actresses out there,” said director Levinson in a statement.
“I am very excited that she joined the incredible cast of ‘Francis & The Godfather’ and brought her unique talent to the film,” he added.
Levinson is directing from a script by Andrew Farotte, which the director redesigned after joining the Black List as one of the favorite unscripted scripts in 2015.
Exciting: ‘Elle is one of the most exciting and versatile actresses out there,’ said director Levinson in a statement
Mike Marcus, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding are producing for Echo Lake Entertainment, along with Kevin Pictures, Jon Levin and Jason Sosnoff of Baltimore Pictures.
The project is actually one of two investigating the backstage of The Godfather, with the other being the Paramount Plus series The Offer.
This project, based on the experiences of producer Albert S. Ruddy making the film, made headlines when Armie Hammer dropped out of the project, where he played Ruddy, after allegations of sexual misconduct arose.
Two projects: the project is actually one of two investigating the backstage of The Godfather, the other being the Paramount Plus series The Offer
McGraw was married to Evans, who went on to become a legendary producer of films like Chinatown and Urban Cowboy, from 1969 to 1972.
She met Steve McQueen on the set of her film The Getaway, and married in 1973, until they separated in 1978.
Fanning will be seen on the big screen alongside her real-life sister, Dakota Fanning, in The Nightingale, in the role of two sisters separated by World War II, which is due to hit theaters on December 23.
Married: McGraw was married to Evans, who went on to become a legendary producer of films like Chinatown and Urban Cowboy, from 1969 to 1972
Ali: She met Steve McQueen on the set of her film The Getaway and married in 1973, until they split in 1978
Coming soon: Fanning will be seen on the big screen next to her real-life sister Dakota Fanning in The Nightingale, in the role of two sisters separated by World War II, scheduled to hit theaters on December 23