Susan Sarandon Replaces Diane Keaton In Next Roger Michell Film; Sam Neill, Rainn Wilson, Bex Taylor-Klaus + More Join Cast
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Susan Sarandon has joined Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska in the Roger Michell-directed English-language remake (formally titled Blackbird) to the 2014 Danish film, Silent Heart, directed by Bille August. Sarandon will take over for Diane Keaton, who was previously attached to the project, which hails Millennium Films.
Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Rainn Wilson(The Office), Bex Taylor-Klaus (Arrow), Lindsay Duncan (Birdman), newcomer Anson Boon have also joined the cast in supporting roles.
Christian Thorpe, who wrote the script for the original, wrote this latest adaptation. The plot follows one family spanning three generations come together over a weekend to be with their terminally ill mother (Sarandon) before she takes her own life. Her family willingly supports her decision to help her die with dignity, but her daughters (Winslet and Wasikowska) begin to unravel a secret that could disrupt her wish to die peacefully and on her own terms.
Filming is slated to begin next week in the United Kingdom. Sherryl Clark of Busted Shark and Millennium’s David Bernardi are the producers, while, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Jeffrey Greenstein, and Jonathan Yunger serve as exec producers. Alice Dawson is the co-producer.
Sarandon is repped by UTA; Neill by ICM and Curtis Brown Group; Wilson by UTA and Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment; Taylor-Klaus by Hyperion Talent Agency, Curtis Talent Management, and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson LLP; Duncan by Paradigm.