Richard Linklater’s ‘Where’d You Go Bernadette’ with Cate Blanchett Confirmed to Film This Summer

Nearly two years ago, we received news that Richard Linklater would be working on the film adaptation Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Now, two years later, it seems the project is finally going to solidify. Indiewire reported earlier this week that the film is expected to start filming this summer. Linklater signed on to helm the project nearly two years ago, and Blanchett was attached by November 2015, but the project has seemed to been put to the side for the last few years.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a 2012 comedy novel written by Maria Semple. The plot revolves around an architect and mother named Bernadette Fox, who after discovering her daughter want to take their family on a trip to Antarctica, goes missing, leading her family to search for her. The main character suffers from agoraphobia (i.e. fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment).

The book has been adapted into a screenplay by the writing duo Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter, who previously wrote the original script for 500 Days of Summer and adapted Fault in Our Stars, The Spectacular Now, and Paper Towns. AnnaPurna Pictures and Color Force will be producing the film.

Linklater received critical praise for his 2014 film Boyhood, which was filmed in 40 days over the course of 11 years, and was nominated for six Oscars, winning Patricia Arquette the Best Supporting Actress. Since then he released Everybody Wants Some, which was the opening film at last year’s SXSW.  He recently announced that he will be collaborating with Robert Downey Jr. on film revolving around con artist, and is planning on working with Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, and Steve Carrell in Last Flag Flying, the sequel to The Last Detail.

Blanchett can be seen this month in Terrence Malick’s film Song to Song, which just premiered at SXSW.  Look for her in the next year in films such as Thor: Ragnarok alongside Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, Ocean’s Eight co-starring Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter, and Andy Serkis’ interpretation of Jungle Book, along with Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, and Naomi Harris. In the future, Blanchett is set to star as Lucille Ball in a biopic written by Aaron Sorkin, and well as direct the tv series Stateless.