Since before Andrew Dominik began work on Killing Them Softly, he had been developing Blonde, a fictionalized Marilyn Monroe biopic based on the acclaimed Joyce Carol Oates novel. Naomi Watts had been set for the lead, and it went far enough that promo images of her as Monroe were released. But she eventually dropped out and the project stalled, but now Jessica Chastain has entered talks to replace her.
If everything comes together, Chastain would play Norma Jeane Baker aka Marilyn Monroe in the film, taken from Oates' Pulitzer Prize-nominated book published in 2000. Here's the synopsis:
One of America’s most acclaimed novelists boldly re-imagines one of America’s most enduring icons in Blonde—the National Book Award-nominated bestseller by Joyce Carol Oates. The legend of Marilyn Monroe—aka Norma Jeane Baker—comes provocatively alive in this powerful tale of Hollywood myth and heartbreaking reality. Marilyn Monroe lives—reborn to tell her untold history; her story of a star created to shine brightest in the Hollywood firmament before her fall to earth. Blonde is a dazzling fictional portrait of the intricate inner life of the idolized and desired movie star as only the inimitable Joyce Carol Oates could paint it.
Brad Pitt, who has worked with Dominik twice already on The Assassination of Jesse James and Killing Them Softly, will produce through his Plan B shingle, while Dominik has adapted the screenplay himself. No word on when filming will begin but snagging Chastain is a solid way to start things moving again. [TheWrap]
