Jessica Chastain in 2011’s ‘The Help’

Jessica Chastain is close to inking a deal to play Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s biopic Blonde, as reported by The Wrap. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel of the same name, Dominik has adapted the book and Brad Pitt, if as-yet unconfirmed and unnamed sources are to be believed, has been instrumental in convincing Chastain to take the titular role.

Brad Pitt and his production company Plan B, which he runs along with business partner Dede Gardner, seems to be the glue bringing together Dominik and Chastain. Pitt himself has worked with writer/director Dominik previously, first on 2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and again in 2012 for Killing Them Softly. Pitt is also close to Chastain, having worked opposite her in Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life (2011). Chastain has been rumored to be considered for the role for several years – yes, the film has been in development for a while. 

Blonde will mark the latest incarnation of the famed starlet. Marilyn Monroe’s most recent appearance was in My Week With Marilyn (2011) with Michelle Williams in the titular role. The word is, however, that Blonde will take a very different approach. Dominik and Pitt are, no doubt, confident that Chastain will deliver. Let’s not forget, the last time she went blonde, Chastain earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 2011’s The Help. The following year she received another Oscar nomination for her work in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty. It’s probably safe to say, despite the enormous expectations the role brings with it, Chastain has got the chops to pull it off.

While nothing is set in stone yet, it seems like a done deal for the most part. Dominik is expecting to start production in August, provided some scheduling details can be worked out with busy Chastain, who is finishing work on Guillermo del Toro’s gothic horror film Crimson Peak and getting ready to start shooting this year for The Zookeeper’s Wife. We will see Chastain next on the big screen in November, where she will appear in Christopher Nolan’s Insterstellar and J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year.