After spending a couple of years in the last decade making well-received, more traditionally made dramas, David Cronenberg delved back into the weird last year with “Cosmopolis.” Now, production has begun on his next film, “Maps to the Stars,” which sounds like it could be a combination of both styles, and stars John Cusack, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams, and Sarah Gadon. Until now, not much has been known about the film except that it would take on Hollywood and celebrity culture while also doubling as some kind of ghost story, but now a much clearer picture is emerging.
Folks over at the fansite for “Maps To The Stars” have done a pretty good job of collating bits and scraps over of the plot over the past few months, but the best synopsis they’ve gathered comes from The Wrap and includes who is playing what:
A contemporary tale exploring the demons of our celebrity-obsessed society, story follows the Weiss family, which is led by Stafford (Cusack), a psychotherapist and life coach who made his fortune with self-help books. His wife (Williams) is the overbearing mother-manager of their 13-year-old son (Bird), a TV star recently out of drug rehab. Their estranged daughter (Wasikowska) has just been released from a psychiatric hospital and befriended a limo driver (Pattinson) who is also an aspiring actor.
One of Stafford’s celebrity clients is Havana (Moore), an actress with an unusual new assistant. Havana’s dream of reprising her dead mother’s (Gadon) starring role from the 1960s slowly crumbles while ghosts, death and all manner of vices collide.
With cameras now rolling, THR reveals that Emilia McCarthy (“Hemlock Grove”), Jayne Heitmeyer, and Justin Kelly have been added to the ensemble cast. Production on the film is expected to wrap next month so, presumably, “Maps to the Stars” is most likely looking at a fall 2014 release and maybe a Cannes premiere?