Christoph Waltz will direct and star in The Worst Marriage in Georgetown, marking the Academy Award-winning actor's feature directorial debut. Per Variety, David Auburn's (Proof) script is based on a New York Times Magazine article by Franklin Foer about Albrect Muth (Waltz), "an eccentric social climber who seduced and married a wealthy older widow, Viola Drath." Muth falsified his background and became a prominent social figure in the upper echelons of Washington, D.C.. The couple hosted opulent parties and events in their home, which were attended by D.C.'s political elite. When Drath was found dead, Muth's lies were uncovered and he was put on trial for the murder of his wife.

Production will begin on October 15, 2015 with Voltage Pictures on board to fully finance and produce the picture. In addition to directing and acting, Waltz will produce alongside Erica Steinberg (Inglorious Basterds) and Voltage’s Nicolas Chartier.

This is an absolutely brilliant role for Waltz. Since Quentin Tarantino plucked the actor from the relative obscurity of regional Austrian stardom, Waltz has largely played antiheroes and antagonists, infusing each character with his idiosyncratic charm. He's exactly the right actor to play a weasely, status-seeking con artist and make you love the character anyway. Hopefully Waltz's quirky, endearing personality and his grasp on honest human interaction translate to his style as a filmmaker.

Waltz will next be seen as the unknown villain who is definitely not Blofeld in Sam Mendes' latest James Bond film, Spectre, before appearing in David Yates' Tarzan update.