Kristin Scott Thomas has signed on to star in “Paramour,” a thriller about a doomed romance. Swedish helmer Alexandra-Therese Keining will direct the film, Deadline reports.
Inspired by the true story of BMW heiress Susanne Klatten (Scott Thomas), “Paramour” follows the “powerful woman who chooses to lead a reclusive existence away from the limelight. When the mysterious and seductive Helg Sgarbi enters her life, they embark upon a passionate, illicit affair — but once she is well and truly hooked, Helg reveals his sinister true intentions,” the source summarizes.
Jordan Katz (“Valiant”) penned the script. Meredith Vieira Productions’ Amy Rapp (“Tower”) is producing alongside Occupant Entertainment’s Joe Neurauter (“The Hallow”). Vieira will serve as exec producer. Sales for the project, scheduled to shoot in Germany and Italy this fall, will launch next week in Cannes.
“‘Paramour’ is a thrilling and provocative story about the dangers and responsibilities that one uber-wealthy woman is forced to confront,” said Protagonist CEO Mike Goodridge. “Jordan Katz’s script intelligently captures the intriguing dilemmas facing these two highly flawed characters. The combination of exciting filmmaker Alexandra-Therese Keining and the always compelling star Kristin Scott Thomas make for a heady cocktail which will appeal to adult audiences around the world.”
Keining’s most recent film, supernatural coming-of-age story “Girls Lost,” made its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. When we asked her about the biggest misconception about her and her work, she said, “That as a female director, I am only able to do rom-coms.” Keining is currently in pre-production on AnnaSophia Robb-starrer “Just Like Beauty,” a dramedy set in a dystopic future.
Scott Thomas will make her directorial debut with “The Sea Change,” a drama about an unhappy married couple who travel to a remote Greek island. She earned an Academy Award nomination in 1997 for her role in “The English Patient.” Her recent credits include “Suite Française,” “The Invisible Woman,” and “Only God Forgives.” She’ll next be seen in Sally Potter’s “The Party,” which just secured U.S. distribution. Scheduled to hit theaters in February, the black and white dark comedy co-stars Emily Mortimer (“The Newsroom”), Patricia Clarkson (“The Maze Runner” franchise), Cillian Murphy (“Inception”), Cherry Jones (“Transparent”), Timothy Spall (“Harry Potter” franchise), and Bruno Ganz (“The Reader”).
