British actor James D’Arcy has rounded out the cast of Madonna’s sophomore directorial effort, the romantic-drama “W.E.” taking over over the role of King Edward VIII from Ewan McGregor who was loosely attached before dropping out alongside Vera Farmiga.
D’Arcy will join the likes of Andrea Riseborough, Abbie Cornish and Oscar Isaacs in the dual narrative story of Wally, a modern day woman trapped in a loveless marriage who develops romantic interests with a Russian security guard at a Sotheby auction, and the abdication of King Edward VIII for his marriage to American socialite Wallis Simpson. Madonna co-wrote the script with writer Alex Kershishian, with the project evidently something she’s been plotting for years.
“It’s been kind of an obsession of mine,” Madonna told Interview. “I started writing it when I finished filming ‘Filth and Wisdom.’ It was actually an idea I had before that, but I made ‘Filth and Wisdom’ because I realized that I didn’t really have a right to make a bigger film until I made a smaller film-and learned how to make a film.”
The pop-icon-turned-director also addressed a misconception of the film and its portrayal of the two narratives. “The movie everyone thinks I’m making that’s supposed to be a musical about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. I don’t know why that got in the newspapers. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor are in the movie, but it’s not going to be about them. It’s really about this other woman’s journey, and the duchess is kind of her spiritual guide.”
“It’s set mostly in pre-World War II England-like, 1936 to 1937-and then in New York in 1998. It goes back and forth in time. I use the Sotheby’s auction in 1998 of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s estate as a device to flash backward from.” It’s ambitious to say the least but with the flashback device, it does sound a bit more fitting than the loose dual narrative we had envisioned. Even with the promising cast that’s been put together, it is Madonna helming — god only knows what she’s got in store for us.
Shooting on “W.E.” will begin on July 4th with lensing to span across London, New York and the French Riviera.
Is it so wrong to be strangley intrigued by this project? I know the natural reaction is to think that it is probably going to rubbish because it is Madonna but if Vera Farminga and Ewan McGregor were interested at one point couldn't it suggest that there could be something quite good there?