François Arnaud’s previously undisclosed film project has been revealed as Godstar, a dark comedy-drama led by The Magicians actress Olivia Taylor Dudley.
Dudley and Arnaud play former lovers reunited in Los Angeles for a revival of the stage production that launched their careers. Fifteen years after their relationship collapsed, one punishing day of rehearsals begins stripping away the personas they have maintained since their separation.
Director Oren Shai completed production in Los Angeles before the project was publicly announced. No distributor, festival premiere or release date has been confirmed.
The announcement also explains the unidentified project Arnaud teased from a Los Angeles set in early June. Both lead actors have since shared their first comments and behind-the-scenes images from the production.
Arnaud Plays the Former Lover Who Abandoned Dudley’s Character
Dudley stars as Ronnie Dalton, a sharp-tongued and self-destructive New York actress who travels to Los Angeles to rehearse a revival of the play that first made her famous. Her costar is Sky Blue, played by Arnaud, a charismatic former lover who abandoned Ronnie at the height of their careers.
According to Deadline’s description of the film, one “savage” rehearsal day dismantles the performances Ronnie and Sky have perfected during the 15 years since their separation.
The project places their unresolved romantic history inside a professional reunion neither character can easily escape. The entire conflict unfolds as they attempt to return to the stage production tied to their earlier success.
Arnaud and Dudley Shared Their First Reactions to the Film
“Read @cocomorier’s script and my first thought was ‘alright well I better get to work,'” he wrote on Instagram. He added that doing that work with Dudley and Shai had been a joy.
Dudley described Godstar as a particularly meaningful project and called Arnaud an ideal “partner in crime.” She also thanked Shai and Morier for trusting her with Ronnie.
“I can’t wait for the world to see the insanity we created together,” Dudley wrote. Just Jared reported that the actors shared the comments after Arnaud’s mystery project was formally identified as Godstar.
Oren Shai Calls the Film a Dark Comedy and ‘Waking Nightmare’
Shai described Godstar as a personal story about artists who create their own tragedies and the price their work demands from them. He characterized the movie as “equal parts dark comedy and waking nightmare” and praised Morier’s screenplay and the performances delivered by the cast.
Godstar is Shai’s second feature after the neo-noir film The Frontier. It also marks Morier’s feature screenwriting debut following her work as a songwriter with artists including Britney Spears and Charli XCX.
Blu Hunt and James Urbaniak appear alongside Dudley and Arnaud. The supporting cast also includes Bridget Barrera, David J. Phillips and Robert Oppel. Dustin Cook and Linda Ajeti produced the film through Bureau of Content and Sabertooth. David Guglielmo and Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette served as co-producers, while Claire Koonce and Charlene Lee oversaw casting.
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