Christopher Abbott, an indie film favorite, is no stranger to the semi-biographical genre, having portrayed the title part of James White, a young man in his twenties who is unemployed and lives in New York with his divorced, terminally sick mother, Gail.
Abbott has now landed a new role in another semi-biographical film, The Maid of Orleans, where he will star alongside Elle Fanning, who, according to Variety, “will star as Rebecca Spielman, a young film school graduate who travels to Paris to work as the assistant to the brilliant, yet tortured up-and-coming director Sammy Lindberg (Abbott). As the production of Sammy’s new “Joan of Arc” movie ramps up, Rebecca finds herself struggling to satisfy the growing maze of demands made by her new boss, all the while caught in a tangled web of passion and allegiance. Tereszkiewicz will play Celine, the actress portraying Joan of Arc in the film.”
Sarah Elizabeth Mintz, who won two awards at Tribeca for her autobiographical film Good Girl Jane, will be the film’s director. According to her official website, Sarah enjoys stories that delve into the ambiguities of the human condition and praise the beauty in the often-overlooked “gray” places.
Christopher Abbott will also produce the film together with Fanning’s Lewellen Pictures (The Great, The Girl from Plainville) and Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films (formed in 2016 and responsible for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, George and Tammy, Ava, and The 355). Abbout will next be seen on our screens in Sony’s superhero movie, Kraven the Hunter, out Oct. 6.
Filming will begin on The Maid of Orleans early 2024 in France, and Paris-based producer Raphaël Benoliel, whose resume includes Mission: Impossible, will serve as executive producer.