Cate Blanchett and Selena Gomez are set to star in Brady Corbet’s next film, with Michael Fassbender also attached. Corbet has described the project as an “X-rated” genre-bending epic spanning the 19th century to the present, anchored mainly in the 1970s, with
Cate Blanchett let it slip in a Cannes masterclass, the kind of casual admission that instantly changes the room’s temperature: she’s “about to work with Brady Corbet on a film.”
What followed made the news move fast. Variety has confirmed that Blanchett has been cast in Brady Corbet’s next feature. with Selena Gomez also starring alongside Michael Fassbender. Gomez’s casting had been previously reported. but this is the moment it’s become official in the way film news rarely is until a major outlet names the lineup.
The movie’s title and plot are still kept under wraps. But Corbet has already sketched the shape of what he wants. In interviews, he’s talked about making an “X-rated” feature set in the 1970s. He described the story as stretching “from the 19th century into the present day. ” while remaining “predominantly focused on the ’70s.” He also promised something harder to pin down than a simple genre label. calling it “really. really genre-defying.”.
There’s also the craft detail that fans tend to feel even before they understand it: the film is reportedly being shot using rare eight-perf 65mm cameras.
Corbet’s plans so far aren’t just about what the audience will see. They’re about how much of it. At the Storyhouse Screenwriting Festival in Dublin last month, he teased that the new film has a 200-page script. For comparison, “The Brutalist,” Corbet’s previous feature, had a 165-page script and ran three-and-a-half hours.
In practical terms, Andrew Morrison is producing the project for his Kaplan Morrison production banner. It will be Corbet’s fourth feature, following 2015’s “The Childhood of a Leader” and 2018’s “Vox Lux” before “The Brutalist.”
Reps for Blanchett and Gomez did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
Blanchett’s casting lands with a specific kind of momentum. She has worked with filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher, and Wes Anderson. Most recently. she starred in Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother. ” which won the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival. Her Oscar wins include best supporting actress for her performance as Katharine Hepburn in Scorsese’s “The Aviator” (2004). and best actress for Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” (2013).
Gomez brings a different energy but the same capacity for high-profile, demanding roles. Alongside her global pop stardom and her role as founder of Rare Beauty. she has had a long acting career that began on the Disney Channel with “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She later broke out in Harmony Korine’s 2012 “Spring Breakers.” Most recently. she starred in Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez. ” which won her a Cannes best actress award alongside Zoe Saldaña. Karla Sofía Gascón. and Adriana Paz. She’s also led five seasons of Hulu’s “Only Murders of the Building. ” which has earned her an Emmy nomination and has been renewed for a sixth season.
The secrecy around the untitled film is likely deliberate—Corbet has always seemed to prefer a certain distance before the curtain lifts. But between the confirmed cast and Corbet’s own descriptions of an “X-rated. ” genre-defying epic centered on the ’70s. it’s already clear why this project is spreading beyond film circles. A director promising a long, unusual story with major stars is rarely just another casting announcement. It’s the start of a new kind of anticipation.
Cate Blanchett Selena Gomez Brady Corbet Michael Fassbender The Brutalist The Childhood of a Leader Vox Lux X-rated epic 1970s film eight-perf 65mm cameras Cannes masterclass