The life story of Billy Wilder is coming to a movie screen near you. Today it was announced that Stephen Frears will helm the film, Billy Wilder & Me, to be based on the fan-favorite Jonathan Coe novel, Mr Wilder & Me. Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards) has signed on to step into the role of the titular character and Hollywood icon Wilder with no other cast members revealed at this time. Legendary Oscar-winning screenplay writer, Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) will adapt the piece for the big screen. Reinhard Brundig and Christos V. Konstantakopoulous will co-produce.
The year is 1977 and a young woman is traveling to Athens to work alongside the legendary director on his film, Fedora. While the woman knows very little about Wilder and his contribution to cinema, she soon takes on more than she bargained for as she dives head first into the world of glamour and all the excitement that comes along with it. While the woman gets her toes wet in the pool of showbiz, Wilder’s bright star is beginning to fade away. Hollywood has shot down his newest on-screen dream, leaving the creative to turn to Germany to attain the money necessary to make his film a reality. Wilder soon leaves the sunny shores of Greece for the city of Munich to continue filming his project, with the woman tagging along. As the two grow closer, Wilder opens up more and shares his entire world with the naïve young woman.
Keeping it short, but sweet, both Frears and Waltz gave statements revealing the film’s announcement and casting reveal with Frears saying, “Europe and Hollywood. Hollywood and Europe. The most interesting dilemma in the cinema.” Adding his excitement for the new project, Waltz commented, “Billy Wilder said ‘You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning.’ A Stephen Frears movie from a Christopher Hampton script produced by Jeremy Thomas should do the trick for me.” It will also be a treat for Waltz and the rest of the cast and crew to get out of bed in the morning as filming will take place in the beautiful locations of Greece, Munich, and Paris.
Considered to be one of the biggest names in classic Hollywood filmmaking, Wilder nabbed a whopping eight Academy Award nominations for Best Director, which he would win twice. Also a talented writer, he won the Academy Award for best screenplay three times and was nominated 13 times. Wilder was at the helm of such well-known features as Sunset Boulevard, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Apartment, and Some Like It Hot. Billy Wilder & Me promises to do a deep dive into the world surrounding the acclaimed director as his life unfolds before the eyes of the story’s young woman.
As of right now, no release date has been set for the production, but stay tuned to Collider for more information.