Juliette Lewis will star in “The Days of Mary,” a reimagining of Federico Fellini‘s “Nights of Cabiria,” which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 1957.
“Mary,” based on the original screenplay by Fellini, Ennio Flaino and Tullio Pinelli, is the romantic adventure of an eternally optimistic working girl who’s looking for love to escape the broken world of Reno, Nev. Principal photography on “The Days of Mary” is slated to begin this fall in Reno.
Constellation Entertainment acquired feature rights to the “Nights of Cabiria” screenplay from the Fellini estate. Brad Michael Gilbert (“After Life,” “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond”) will direct from an adapted screenplay by Meg McGarry and Gilbert. Mike S. Ryan (“Meek’s Cutoff”) will produce along with Gilbert, and Brandy Lewis will co-produce.
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Robbie Little is exec producing. His sales and distribution company, the Little Film Co., is handling international sales for “The Days of Mary” and will introduce the project to foreign buyers for the first time in Cannes.
The original film made a splash in Cannes back in 1957, earning a best actress award for star Giulietta Masina and a special mention for Fellini. The “Nights of Cabiria” screenplay was previously reimagined in 1969 with Bob Fosse’s musical “Sweet Charity,” starring Shirley MacLaine.
“The story is more relevant than ever — the triumph of a hopeful spirt in the face of a broken world,” Gilbert said. “Juliette was born to play this role.”
Additional casting announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
