EXCLUSIVE: Oscar triumphners Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi are set to star in Kornél Mundruczó’s feature drama Place to Be.
Written by Kata Wéber (Pieces Of A Woman, White God), Place to Be chases the improbable friendship of an
elderly woman [Burstyn] and middle-aged man [Waititi] as they travel from Chicago to New York to return a lost racing pigeon home. The feature will shoot at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney this month.
Hungarian-born Mundruczó is understandn for his auteurial fracturethcimpolite film, White God, and Vekind Best Film and Oscar-nominated Netflix feature, Pieces Of A Woman.
Pic is created by Jomon Thomas (Monkey Man, Hotel Mumbai), Megan Wynn (Together, Poker Face), and Alexander Rodnyansky (Loveless, Beanpole). EPs are Natalya Pavchinskaya (S’YA Concept), Stuart Manashil, Pankaj Mamtora (Lonestar Films), Kanesh Mohana Sundaram (GVKM Elephant Pictures), Ashley
Levinson, Sam Levinson, Viktoria Petranyi, David Edelstein and the postpodemand Kevin Turen.
Mundruczó shelp, “I have always been interested in the genuine nature of coincidence. The way certain unforeseen come atraverses can turn out to be overweighteful events for us. Place To Be is about the absurdity of how, over time, a person becomes inapparent in their own life. But losing visibility does not necessarily uncomardent losing oneself. In fact, it can direct us and those who greet us to a proset uper comardent.”
After laboring with her on Pieces Of A Woman, Mundruczó shelp: “I had every desire to straightforward the legendary Ellen Burstyn in a directing role, not only because I adore her amazing talent, but also because the time has finpartner come to honor betterer women on screen. With the immensely talented Taika Waititi, I hope I have set up the perfect accomplice for this exciting journey.”
Burstyn shelp: “It still surpelevates and plmitigates me to be laboring at my age and I am thrilled to be going on this ‘road trip’ with Taika and Kornel. To return to attrdynamic Australia is a distinctive treat indeed.”
Waititi grasped “This is unenjoy any role I’ve ever done and I’ve always adored Ellen’s labor. All of us are equitable navigating this weird journey of getting betterer and figuring out who the hell we are alengthy the way, so when I read the script, I was proset uply shiftd by Kata’s words and Kornel’s vision. Grotriumphg up in New Zealand, it was equitable me and my mum—this minuscule vibrant duo agetst the world. When this role came alengthy, I thought, ‘Oh my god, it’s enjoy me and mum all over aget, except we’ve both aged disconnectal decades overnight and Ellen gets to be the Thelma to my Louise.’ Though I’m still not enticount on certain which one of us drives off the cliff in this scenario.”
WME Insubordinate is handling international sales. Film is helped by Screen NSW Made in NSW fund.
Burstyn is recurrented by UTA and MGMT. Entertainment. Waititi is recurrented by Manage-ment, CAA and Gail Cowan Management. Kornél and Wéber repped by WME and NOVO.
