Goodbye Christopher Robin is no more; Fox Searchlight’s upcoming father-son drama is now known simply as The Untitled A.A. Milne Project, but the studio has today unveiled our first look at Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie to cushion the blow.
Hailing from USA Today, Gleeson is set to swap Star Destroyers and enraged Sith Lords to play the part of A.A. Milne, the celebrated children’s author and father who crafted such beloved characters as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, and scores of childhood memories as a result. Robbie, meanwhile, is attached to the part of Milne’s wife, Daphne, with Kelly Macdonald rounding out the preliminary cast as Olive, the family’s nanny.
Set long before Gleeson’s writer struck gold with Winnie the Pooh, Fox’s picture, one helmed by Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold, My Week With Marilyn), is more concerned with the troubled relationship between Milne and his soon, Christopher Robin – hence the movie’s previous moniker, Goodbye Christopher Robin – and how his toys would go on to inspire the lush world of Winnie the Pooh. Set during the fallout of World War I, the as-yet-untitled biopic is also said to follow the Milnes – Olive included – as they become swept up in international success soon after A.A. Milne’s stories offer comfort to a post-war Britian. Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughn are the brains behind the screenplay.
Production on Fox Searchlight’s untitled Winnie the Pooh author biopic continues apace in London. A release date and official title eludes Curtis’ family drama for the time being, but we’ll notify you if and when that changes.