Oscar winner Angelina Jolie doesn’t work much in front of the camera anymore, so when she chooses a project it’s always a big deal. She’s just chosen her next one, as Black Bear Pictures announced Jolie will star in an adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestselling book Anxious People, and directed by A Man Called Otto filmmaker Marc Forster.
Backman is also the author of the book, A Man Called Ove, which was adapted into a beloved Swedish movie in 2015, followed by an American remake, A Man Called Otto, directed by Forster and starring Tom Hanks. Oscar nominated writer David Magee, who worked with Forster on ‘Otto‘ and Finding Neverland, will write the screenplay.
Here is the Anxious People synopsis: The day before Christmas Eve, investment banker Zara (Jolie) begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house. When a reluctant bank robber inadvertently takes the group hostage, chaos and oversharing ensues, secrets are revealed and literally nothing goes according to plan. A poignant, charming film about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Through an ingeniously constructed story, Anxious People explores the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope — the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.
Jolie recently starred in the Maria Callas biopic, Maria. Coming up for Jolie is Alice Winocour’s Paris Fashion Week drama, Couture, which has yet to land a release date.
Anxious People will be hitting the Cannes sales market so expect more news in the coming weeks.
