Back in May, we learned Dakota Johnson would be making her directorial debut on a new film written by her Cha Cha Real Smooth co-star, Vanessa Burghardt. Now we know the title of that film, A Tree is Blue, and that it will star Burghardt, Charli XCX, and Jessica Alba.
This is Burghardt’s first feature screenplay. The coming-of-age story, according to World of Reel, “centers on a young woman on the autism spectrum who breaks free from her overprotective, but loving mother in search of freedom, friendship, and a little chaos in the summer after high school graduation.”
Burghardt, who played Johnson’s daughter in Cha Cha Real Smooth, is herself on the autism spectrum. Shooting on A Tree is Blue is expected to begin next month.
Grammy Award-winning singer Charli XCX has been making big moves into acting, appearing in seven movies over the last couple of years. That includes Sacrifice, which I reviewed last month at TIFF. Alba is best known for her roles in Fantastic Four, Machete, and Honey. She last starred in the 2024 action flick, Trigger Warning.
Johnson has always seemed like an actor whose future was in filmmaking. She has worked with some of the best auteurs in the business and has likely paid attention closely to them. This is a project she takes very seriously, just as she takes Burghardt seriously, so expect her to throw everything she’s got into making A Tree is Blue the best it can be.
