If there was any doubt that Xavier Dolan can now command A-list casts, this should put it to rest. His upcoming "It’s Only The End Of The World" features Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel, and Léa Seydoux; and now, for his next feature and English-language debut "The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan," he’s landed some big names to join Jessica Chastain, Kit Harington, Taylor Kitsch, Kathy Bates, and Susan Sarandon in the film.
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Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult, and Thandie Newton have joined the drama, which takes place in the early 2000s and centers on the tribulations of an American TV star in his late 20s (Harington) and his correspondence with Rupert Turner, a young actor-to-be living with his mother in England. Their lives take dramatic turns when the existence of their pen-pal relationship is publicly exposed, eliciting the most ill-founded assumptions and sending Donovan in a vertical downfall. A decade later, the young actor recollects his relationship with his past idol over the course of an interview.
This is a heckuva cast, and speaks to the growing reputation of the 26-year-old director. Cameras roll this spring. [Deadline]
