Julie Delpy has booked her next gig. The screenwriter, director, and actress is moving forward with a project that she’s been working on for over 20 years, “My Zoe.” She’ll write, direct, and star in the family drama, Variety reports. Gemma Arterton (“Their Finest”) and Daniel Brühl (“Rush”) are signed on to co-star.
“‘My Zoe’ is the fascinating and confrontational story about the lengths to which a mother’s love goes for her child,” the film’s synopsis reads. “Delpy plays Isabelle, a geneticist recovering from a toxic marriage and raising her daughter Zoe in conjunction with her ex-husband. Zoe means everything to her mother, but when tragedy strikes the fractured family, Isabelle takes matters into her own hands.” Arterton and Brühl will play a couple that Isabelle seeks help from.
The London-set film will be produced by Gabrielle Tana for Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow Films, and international sales will be handled by Protagonist Pictures.
Delpy commented, “I started thinking and taking notes about this film over 20 years ago. It first came to my mind discussing with [Krzysztof] Kieslowski about parenting, love, and fate. The film is about the unconditional love you feel as a parent. It was a very profound process to write it. I gave it all the truth I had and I hope it resonates with others.”
“‘My Zoe’ is one of those movies that people stand around and argue about,” Protagonist CEO Mike Goodridge said. “Julie has created a compulsive drama about what it means to be a parent, and what lengths a parent will go to for their children.”
Delpy is a two-time Oscar nominee. She received nods for co-writing “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight,” the two “Before Sunrise” sequels. Delpy also starred in critically acclaimed trilogy.
“My Zoe” will be mark the seventh feature the multi-hyphenate has directed. Her last effort, “Lolo,” made its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Her other directing credits include “2 Days in New York” and “The Countess.”
When we asked Delpy her advice for women directors, she encouraged her fellow female filmmakers to “hang in there, and never take no for an answer. It took me 20 years between the time I wrote my first screenplay and the time I actually got money to direct a movie — exactly 20 years,” she revealed.
“My Zoe” will shoot in the UK next spring.
