Elizabeth Debicki to Co-Star with Simon Baker in His Film Directorial Debut ‘Breath’

According to Variety, Elizabeth Debicki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) will be joining fellow Aussies Simon Baker (star of CBS’ The Mentalist), Richard Roxburgh (Sanctum) and Rachael Blake (Gods of Egypt) in the coming-of-age drama Breath, helmed by Baker in his feature film directorial debut. Also in the cast are newcomers Samson Coulter and Ben Spence.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Australian novelist Tim Winton, the story is set in mid-‘70s coastal Australia and centers on two teenage boys (Coulter, Spence) hungry for adventure. They strike up an unlikely friendship with Sando (Baker), a reclusive older surfer who pushes them to take risks that will have a profound impact on their lives. Debicki will play the surfer’s mysterious wife, Eva. Roxburgh and Blake play the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Pike.

Baker, Winton, Peter Duncan (Rake) and Gerard Lee (Top of the Lake) penned the screenplay adaptation.

Baker, Gran Via Productions’ Mark Johnson (The Notebook), and See Pictures’ Jamie Hilton (Little Death) are producing.

Baker said, “Tim’s book viscerally captures the restless curiosity and yearning for identity that often defines our coming of age.” He added, “I am thrilled with the cast and crew we have assembled to bring this story to life.” “I believe this is a story that’s both uniquely Australian and thematically universal,” said Johnson. Winton commented, “The Great Southern region has had an enormous impact on my life and work, so I’m very pleased this film is being shot on the beaches and streets and forests that inspired the book.”

Debicki appeared last year in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Baltasar Kormákur’s Everest. She will be seen in the much-anticipated The Night Manager, serialized adaptation of John le Carré’s 1993 debuting on Netflix later this month starring Tom Hiddleston (I Saw the Light). She is currently filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 starring Chris Pratt (Jurassic World), slated for release on May 5, 2017.

Shooting on Breath has begun on location in Australia. See below for a first look: