Rooney Marahas had an interesting career thus far, and she’s changing things up once again by signing onto a project of a very different sort. PerVariety, the actress will lead a pop star drama fromThe Childhood of a LeaderfilmmakerBrady Corbet, which will see recording artistSia(of “Cheap Thrills” and “Titanium” fame) providing a full soundtrack of original songs. TitledVox Lux, the story takes place over the course of 15 years, charting “the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop superstardom.” The story begins in 1999, so one assumes 9/11 will play a role in the film, but the idea is to track the important cultural evolutions over the last decade and a half through the eyes of a pop star.
Corbet made his feature debut withThe Childhood of a Laderafter a career as an actor that ranges from a role on24Season 5,Melancholia, and 2014’sClouds of Sils Maria. For his second feature effort, Corbet isn’t only tackling some ambitious subject matter, but he also will shootVox Luxon 65mm large format film, with Kodak helping to back the movie from an equity and marketing perspective. Presumably, this will be sold as a major motion picture event in the realm offilm, in every sense of the word. Killer Films and Three Six Zero Entertainment are producing the indie feature, with filming set to get underway in February 2017.
Mara has come a long way from her first major lead role in 2010’sNightmare on Elm Streetremake, catching her big break the same year with a key turn inDavid Fincher’s masterpieceThe Social Network. She subsequently beat out a bevy of famous actresses for the lead inThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which netted Mara a Best Actress Oscar nomination. She’s since gone on to work with a variety of talented filmmakers, fromSteven Soderbergh(Side Effects) toSpike Jonze(Her) toDavid Lowery(Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), earning her second Oscar nomination for last year’s intimate relationship dramaCarol.
Recently, while Mara dipped her toe into blockbuster waters withJoe Wright’s disappointingPan(hey, I liked it well enough!), the actress has been diving deep into a bevy of indie features. She stars oppositeBen Mendelsohnin the brutal sexual assault dramaUna, has a supporting turn in The Weinstein Company’s tearjerkerLion, and is playing Mary Magdalene oppositeJoaquin Phoenixin the aptly namedMary Magdalene.
Vox Luxno doubt marks yet another intriguing and altogether different turn for Mara, and as an incredibly talented performer, I can’t wait to see what she brings to a pop star role.
