I look at every Sofia Coppola film as an event, the way some folks used to look at every George Lucas film the same way. So when it was announced that her next project would be Bling Ring, based on the spoiled teens known as the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, it jumped immediately past everything else to the film I'm most looking forward to.
Showing yet again that Coppola is committed to shepherding young, up 'n coming actresses through her movies, Taissa Farmiga is the latest to join the cast, right on the heels of yesterday's signing of Emma Watson to the lead role. Bearing a spooky resemblance to her older sister, Vera Farmiga, Taissa played a younger version of her in Higher Ground. She starred in the first season of FX's hit, American Horror Story. Her role in Bling Ring is unclear, as is Watson's.
Variety, who broke the news, also reveal that Farmiga has taken a part in Jamesy Boy, a film we first mentioned a week ago when James Woods, Ving Rhames, and Mary-Louise Parker joined the cast. Another film based on a true story, it follows a suburban gang member who becomes friends with a convicted murderer while in prison. Newcomer Spencer Lofranco will play the main character, with Farmiga as a love interest.
Filming on Jamesy Boy is set to begin in just a few days, and after that she'll jump right into Bling Ring. She should have plenty of time since American Horror Story is totally recasting for the upcoming season. I'm curious to see how Coppola approaches a story such as this, as it doesn't seem to fit the model of some of her more serene stuff like Lost in Translation or Somewhere. Perhaps she'll take a more carefree and colorful approach similar to Marie Antoinette?
