Shailene Woodley and Cara Delevingne star in a horror-themed biopic about the life of legendary thriller author Patricia Highsmith.
According to deadlineDelevingne – who has previously labeled herself as bisexual – will star as Highsmith’s lover.
Their relationship, which will be featured in The Murderous Miss Highsmith, was one of two romances Highsmith continued with other women who reportedly inspired one of her most successful novels, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
The film is directed by Alexandra Pechman, who will make her feature film debut with the project.
Woodley – who will be seen next in a sci-fi rom-com – stars as Highsmith, who died in 1995 at the age of 74.
Starring: Cara Delevingne stars in The Murderous Miss Highsmith as the mistress of writer Patricia Highsmith, Deadline reported Thursday. Shailene Woodley plays the legendary Talented Mr. Ripley writer
Image: The feature explores the author’s state of mind and tries to explain how her penchant for violent crime brought her inspiration for her novels; Highsmith is seen in 1970
The feature explores the author’s state of mind and tries to explain how her penchant for violent crime brought her inspiration for her novels.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire star Noémie Merlant stars alongside Woodley as the other woman she dated in the 1950s before writing the hit thriller.
Production of the feature film will begin in Italy this fall.
Cara previously revealed to Fashion in March that she spent part of December and January in rehab after seeing photos published exclusively by DailyMail.com of her confused state after attending Burning Man, prompting her to seek help.
‘I had some sort of interventions, but I wasn’t ready for it. That’s the problem,” she explained.
“I hadn’t seen a therapist in three years. I just pushed everyone away, which made me realize how badly I was in a bad place.”
She also admitted that she had previously sought quick fixes for her substance abuse issues, but now that she focused on the 12-step program, it was easier to get sober.
“I used to be always on the quick fix of healing, like going to a week-long retreat or going to a course for trauma, and that helped for a minute, but it never really got to the root, the deeper stuff,” she said.
But as she puts her struggles behind her, the model is trying to revive her career, starting with her last major role in the Highsmith biopic.
The author, who suffered from an alcohol addiction for much of her life, published her first novel, Strangers On A Train, in 1950, and Alfred Hitchcock directed a classic film adaptation of the story the following year, helping to earn Highsmith a top spot . author of literary thrillers.
On the Rise: The film is a career comeback for Delevingne, who signed up for rehab late last year after seeing photos published exclusively by DailyMail.com that showed her looking disheveled and apparently on drugs after Burning Man; seen May 1 in NYC
Mysterious Woman: Highsmith was an acclaimed writer of thrillers and literary fiction. Although she had relationships with men, she is considered a lesbian writer; seen in 1993
Two years later she published The Price Of Salt under a pseudonym.
The novel, later reprinted as Carol under her own name, and posthumously adapted into a critically acclaimed film starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, chronicles a doomed lesbian romance inspired by Highsmith’s own life.
Several of her other novels have also been made into movies, including Deep Water, which was made into a movie last year starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, and her Ripley novels, which have led to multiple adaptations, including the 1999 movie starring Matt Damon.
Although Highsmith had relationships with men, she is often described as a lesbian, as her romances with women were said to be much more fulfilling.
The writer, who had a reputation as a misanthrope, cycled through romances and stayed with partners for a few years at most.
“This is such a unique way to explore someone’s legacy while also implementing their world into their life story. The script moves from idyllic Italian sets to gruesome murder fantasies with strong inspiration from her work,” Paris-based production company Memento said in a statement.
“This is a new take on the biopic genre that is sure to leave a mark on audiences,” it added.
The release date of The Murderous Miss Highsmith has not yet been announced.
While she is busy preparing for the title role in the feature film, Woodley will also star in Robots.
French star: The film is about Highsmith’s two relationships with women who The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Noémie Merlant playing the other woman; pictured in September in Venice
The actress will appear alongside Jack Whitehall in the feature film based on Robert Sheckley’s 1973 short story, The Robot Who Looked Like Me.
The film revolves around a pair of individuals whose robot duplicates fall in love and team up to find their real-life doppelgängers.
Emma Roberts was initially set to star in the film, though she was replaced by Woodley in June 2021.
Robots is currently scheduled to be released both in theaters and on-demand on May 19.