Stephen Frears is set to film Billy Wilder And Me next year, according to writer Christopher Hampton.
Stephen Frears is following in the footsteps of Bill Condon’s terrific 1998 film Gods And Monsters (which followed an elderly James Whale), by making a film about an iconic film director in his later years. The director in question is Billy Wilder, who helmed iconic comedies like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, as well as dramas like Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard.
Billy Wilder And Me will see Christoph Waltz take on the title role. It will follow Wilder in the summer of 1977, when an innocent young woman begins working for the famed director and his screenwriter Iz Diamond on a Greek island during the filming of Fedora. When she follows Wilder to Germany to continue the shoot, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the heart of his family history.
The film will reunite Frears with screenwriter Christopher Hampton, with whom he previously collaborated on Dangerous Liaisons and Cheri, who will adapt Jonathan Coe’s 2020 novel Mr. Wilder And Me. Hampton knew Wilder personally, the director gave him encouragement in the writing of Tales From Hollywood, Hampton’s play about German emigres in the Los Angeles film industry.
Producer Jeremy Thomas is also onboard, with who Frears made The Hit in 1984.
Hampton, speaking to Screen in Qatar, said that due to cast commitments, Billy Wilder And Me is unlikely to begin shooting this year. They are aiming for a 2024 start.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
