THR is reporting that Florian Zeller is set to follow his Oscar-nominated feature directorial debut The Father with The Son, an adaptation of his own stage play which is part of a trilogy of family-based dramas alongside The Father and The Mother. Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern are set to star, while Zeller will script with his The Father co-writer Christopher Hampton.
As per the trade, The Son “follows Peter (Jackman) as his busy life with new partner Emma and their baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife, Kate (Dern), turns up with their troubled and angry teenage son, Nicholas. Peter strives to be a better father, searching to help his son with intimate and instinctive moments of family happiness — to solve, with understanding, what Nicholas is going through. But the weight of Nicholas’ condition sets the family on a dangerous course, and they must do everything they can to maintain the bonds that hold them together.”
“The Son is a deeply human story which, I believe, connects us all; I hope audiences will be profoundly moved by this family’s journey,” said Zeller. “Both Hugh and Laura naturally convey great warmth, compassion, and vulnerability … inviting our audience to embrace and feel every moment. The story is set in a vibrant and very much alive New York, an important character. The movie should make us call family and friends to tell them that they are wholly loved and not alone.”
The Father, which stars Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, is up for six Oscars at the Academy Awards including Best Picture, and picked up Best Leading Actor (Hopkins) and Best Screenplay (Zeller and Christopher Hampton) at last weekend’s BAFTA Awards.
