Netflix Acquires Pablo Larraín’s ‘Maria’ Starring Angelina Jolie For U.S. Distribution

Netflix has acquired Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as the legendary opera singer Maria Callas, for U.S. distribution.

“I’m excited to partner again with the Netflix team who care so passionately about movies. This film is my most personal work yet,” Larraín said in a statement. “It is a creative imagining and psychological portrait of Maria Callas who, after dedicating her life to performing for audiences around the world, decides finally to find her own voice, her own identity, and sing for herself. I’m deeply honored to tell this story and share it with audiences worldwide like Maria did with her life.”

More from Variety

• 'Six Triple Eight' Trailer: Kerry Washington Leads All-Black, All-Female Army Corps in Netflix Drama

• 'Starting 5': LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler Among NBA Players Featured in Netflix Sports Series

• Netflix to World Premiere 'The Platform 2' at San Sebastian 

“Maria” also stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino and Valeria Golino.

The film was written by Oscar nominee and “Peaky Blinders” scribe Steven Knight, who previously penned Larraín’s film “Spencer.” Edward Lachman (“El Conde,” “Carol”) serves as cinematographer.

“Maria” is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Lorenzo Mieli and Jonas Dornbach, and hails from production companies The Apartment (a Fremantle Company), Fabula and Komplizen & Fremantle.

“We are delighted that Pablo Larraín’s extraordinary piece of filmmaking, Maria, with its incredible performance by Angelina Jolie, has found its US home at Netflix,” Fremantle’s Andrea Scrosati said. “I know they will give it the best possible support and we are grateful to Glen and his FilmNation team for spearheading the sale.”

This is Netflix’s second film with Larraín directing following “El Conde” (2023), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. “Maria” marks the seventh production partnership between Fabula and Netflix, including Maite Alberdi’s upcoming film “In Her Place.”

“I’m excited that we are continuing to work with Pablo and Fabula – this is our seventh project with them, most recently with ‘El Conde’ and they are producing the upcoming ‘In Her Place,'” Netflix’s film chairman Dan Lin said in a statemet. “Pablo continues a remarkable streak of exploring iconic women through film, this time with the incredible Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas.”

“Maria” marks the third film in Larraín’s work exploring iconic female protagonists, following 2016’s “Jackie” and 2021’s “Spencer.”

The film will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 29.

Best of Variety

• What's Coming to Netflix in September 2024

• What's Coming to Disney+ in September 2024

• New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.