Stranger Things star Maya Hawke will take the lead role in Wildcat, an upcoming film directed by her father Ethan Hawke, per Variety. The project will mark the first time Ethan Hawke has directed his daughter, though they have worked together before in the limited series The Good Lord Bird.
The film will focus on writer Flannery O'Connor, who will be played by Maya Hawke, with a star-studded cast rounding out the line-up. Daredevil's Vincent D'Onofrio, The White Lotus's Steven Zahn, Licorice Pizza's Cooper Hoffman, Reacher's Willa Fitzgerald, The Many Saints of Newark's Alessandro Nivola, Ozark's Laura Linney, First Reformed's Philip Ettinger, and Blindspotting's Rafael Casal are all part of the movie. The script was co-written by Shelby Gaines and Ethan Hawke, with the latter also producing and Maya Hawke executive producing.
"Maya has been working hard for years to put this project together, and we're grateful for the opportunity to introduce a new generation of filmgoers to the genius of Flannery O'Connor," Ethan Hawke said in a statement. "Her work explores themes important to all artists – the intersection of creativity and faith, the blurred relationship between imagination and reality."
Wildcat will revolve around O'Connor's attempts to get her first novel published. The writer suffered from lupus and died at just 39 years old; she wrote 31 short stories and two novels before her death and her work is still studied and celebrated today, though there is controversy and discussion surrounding racism in her personal writings.
"The opportunity to work with the Hawkes to tell this story of struggle, imagination, and faith is exactly the kind of endeavor that Renovo was created to do," said Renovo Media Group's David Kingland, executive producer. "This project has brought together a unique combination of cast and crew to share Flannery O'Connor’s life and writings to fans and new audiences alike."
Cameras are rolling on Wildcat, but the film doesn't yet have a release date – and though we know we'll be seeing Maya Hawke again in Stranger Things season 5, the hit Netflix show also doesn't have a release date at the moment. Until it arrives, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now.
