With the future of Meryl Streep's HBO biopic on renowned opera singer Maria Callas up in the air following the death of director Mike Leigh, another film on the legendary diva is on the way. Noomi Rapace, most recently seen in Child 44 opposite Tom Hardy, has signed on to star in Callas, a biopic from Whale Rider director, Niki Caro.
Adapted by Caro from Alfonso Signorini's biography, Too Proud, Too Fragile, the film is centered around the passionate relationship Maria Callas had with shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis over almost two decades. Like most divas, Callas had become famous for her temperament, but she endured incredible tragedy over the course of her career. Born into extreme poverty, she was also stricken with myopia that left her mostly blind when on stage. She also had a long-standing rivalry with singer Renata Tebaldi but it's unclear if the feud will be part of the film.
The film is being sold at Cannes right now, and to help promote it they've already released the first sales poster.
