Elle Fanning is moving from her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Hulu’s The Great to a film project about one of the most revered films of all time.
The 22-year-old actress signed up to play Oscar-nominated actress Ali McGraw in Francis and the Godfather, about the making of the 1972 classic The Godfather.
Barry Levinson directs the film, which tells the behind-the-scenes drama of director Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel, widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.
New role: Elle Fanning moves from her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Hulu’s The Great to a film project about one of the most revered films of all time
Ali: The 22-year-old actress signed up to play Oscar-nominated actress Ali McGraw in Francis and the Godfather, about the making 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 Paramount’s head of production during the filming of The Godfather.
She joins an A-list that includes Oscar Isaac as Francis Ford Coppola, Jake Gyllenhaal as Evans and Elisabeth Moss as director Eleanor Coppola’s wife.
Filming is expected this fall, although there is no distributor at the moment.
Robert and Ali: Although McGraw did not star in The Godfather, at the time she was married to Robert Evans, who was Paramount’s head of production during the filming of The Godfather.
New role: She joins an A-list that includes Oscar Isaac as Francis Ford Coppola, Jake Gyllenhaal as Evans and Elisabeth Moss as director Eleanor Coppola’s wife
“Elle is one of the most exciting and versatile actresses out there,” director Levinson said in a statement.
“I am extremely excited that she has joined the amazing cast of ‘Francis & The Godfather’ and will add her unique talent to the film,” he added.
Levinson directs based on a script by Andrew Farotte, which the director re-developed after being blacklisted as one of the favorite non-produced scripts in 2015.
Exciting: ‘Elle is one of the most exciting and versatile actresses out there,’ director Levinson said in a statement
Mike Marcus, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding are producing for Echo Lake Entertainment, along with Kevin Turen, Jon Levin and Jason Sosnoff from Baltimore Pictures.
The project is actually one of two that delve behind the scenes of The Godfather, and the other is the Paramount Plus series The Offer.
That project, based on producer Albert S. Ruddy’s experiences in making the film, made headlines when Armie Hammer quit the project, where he played Ruddy, after allegations of sexual misconduct were raised.
Two projects: The project is actually one of two that delve behind the scenes of The Godfather, and the other is the Paramount Plus series The Offer
McGraw was married to Evans, who would become a legendary producer of such films as Chinatown and Urban Cowboy from 1969 to 1972.
She met Steve McQueen on the set of their movie The Getaway, and married in 1973 until they split in 1978.
Fanning will then be seen on the big screen alongside her real-life sister Dakota Fanning in The Nightingale, in which she plays a pair of sisters divorced by World War II, which will hit theaters on December 23.
Married: McGraw was married to Evans, who would become a legendary producer of such films as Chinatown and Urban Cowboy from 1969 to 1972
Ali: She met Steve McQueen on the set of their movie The Getaway, and got married in 1973 until they split up in 1978
Coming soon: Fanning will be seen on the big screen alongside her real-life sister Dakota Fanning in The Nightingale, in which she plays a pair of sisters divorced by World War II, which hit theaters on December 23.