Wasikowska out, Mara in for Patricia Highsmith adaptation.
Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara (‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’) has come on board to replace Mia Wasikowska opposite Cate Blanchett in the period drama, ‘Carol.’
The film, directed by Todd Haynes (‘Far From Heaven,’ ‘I’m Not There’), is a love story about pursuit, betrayal and passion that follows the burgeoning relationship between two very different women in 1950s New York. One, Therese Belivet (Mara), a girl in her twenties working in a department store who dreams of a more fulfilling life, and the other, Carol Aird (Blanchett), a wife trapped in a loveless, moneyed marriage desperate to break free but fearful of losing her daughter in the process.
Sarah Paulson (‘American Horror Story’) will co-star, playing Blanchett’s ex-lover and current confidante. Kyle Chandler (‘The World on Wall Street,’ ‘Super 8’) and ‘Not Fade Away’ Star John Magaro are also attached, as is Carrie Brownstein, star of ‘Portlandia’ and former guitarist and vocalist of Sleater-Kinney.
In a statement, Haynes said: “We’re over the moon to have Rooney on board. I’ve been a tremendous admirer of her work from the beginning, so the thought of bringing her together with Cate onscreen is thrilling to say the least.”
‘Carol’ has been adapted for the screen by Phyllis Nagy (‘Mrs Harris’) and is based on renowned suspense author Patricia Highsmith’s novella of the same name. Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley of Number 9 Films are co-producing the adaptation along with Christine Vachon’s Killer Films. Haynes is set to begin shooting the film later this month.