Helen Mirren will portray author Patricia Highsmith in the film Switzerland, and here are the first details.
Patricia Highsmith is no stranger to film adaptations, from classics like Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train and multiple iterations of her most famous character Ripley. The most recent Highsmith novel to make it to the screen was last year’s Deep Water, which starred Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas.
Now, an original project is making it’s way to the screen. Switzerland is not a direct adaptation of any novel, but rather a fictional story based around the author herself. The plot will follow a young literary agent who is sent to try and persuade Highsmith to pen one final novel in the Ripley series. Fact and fiction become irrecoverably intertwined, as Highsmith’s macabre imagination puts them both in danger.
Helen Mirren will star as Highsmith, with further casting to be announced.
Control director Anton Corbijn will helm the film from a script by Joanna Murray-Smith, based on her own play.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
