Daisy Ridley, Nina Hoss and Kristen Scott Thomas are set to star in a new World War II drama directed by The Wife writer Jane Anderson. Based on the 2017 New York Times bestseller of the same name, Women in the Castle centers around three German widows of conspirators involved in an assassination attempt on Hitler.
“One of Jane’s great talents is to reveal the inner emotional lives of women and in gifting those revelations to actresses, allowing them to deliver award-winning, timelessly memorable performances,” Producer Rosalie Swedlin said. “And in Kristin, Daisy and Nina we have the cast to do exactly that.”
The Wife, which was adapted into a screenplay by Anderson, was praised for its lead performance by Glenn Close back in 2017. Close even received an Oscar nomination for the role at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Anderson’s first feature film as director, The Prize winner of Defiance, Ohio, was mostly well received by critics and audiences in 2005. Until now, Anderson had stepped away from directing and instead focused on writing for shows like Mad Men or the 2014 HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge.
“Jane’s precision in uncovering the deeply personal stories of Shattuck’s female characters is intensely captivating and emotionally expressive.” Producer Tim Haslam said. “Whilst set within a conflict of epic scale the intimacy of the storytelling is highly resonant for its audience. Our actresses will deliver powerhouse performances.”
Women in the Castle is set to begin shooting early 2021.