Sartaj Singh
There is an exciting new development concerning Todd Solondz’s ‘Love Child!’ The dark comedy, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Charles Melton, is slated to shoot in New York and Texas in the second quarter of 2024.
‘Love Child’ is similar to the offbeat narratives we have come to appreciate from Solondz. The plot follows Misty, who lives with her abusive husband and her eleven-year-old son Junior. When a handsome stranger, Easy, begins living in their guesthouse, the son hatches a plan to have him replace his father. However, when Easy becomes romantically involved with Misty, the son realizes that his mother is completely absorbed in the affair and plots a terrifying scheme to get what he wants. Using his signature storytelling methods, Solondz puts his own spin on the Oedipus complex.
While the project’s shooting will be carried out in the next few months, for Solondz, getting to this stage in production was anything but simple. Facing extensive delays and multiple cast changes, the filmmaker even quit his job at New York University to make this film.
After the release of ‘Wiener-Dog,’ Solondz began developing ‘Love Child,’ with Penélope Cruz and Edgar Ramírez joining the project as leads in 2017. Facing delays, the actors dropped out and were replaced by Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell in 2021. In an interview with the Hungarian television channel RTL, Solondz said, “I don’t want to get into it right now; the stress is overwhelming, but I will be shooting something very soon. I think it’s going to be a fun film.” However, as the production faced further issues, Weisz and Farrell also left the movie.
When his perseverance finally bore fruit, and the project was joined by Olsen and Melton, Solondz said in a statement, “I am beyond excited to work with Elizabeth Olsen and Charles Melton on what will be a super fun and playful celebration of Hollywood movies.” A former team member of the filmmaker, Christine Vachon, joined the project as a producer. “I’m thrilled to re-team with Todd Solondz on ‘Love Child.’ We’ve worked together for many years now, starting with ‘Happiness’ in the late 90s, and more recently with ‘Wiener-Dog,’” she commented. “Love Child is yet another example of his singularity as a filmmaker – this dark, hilarious movie could only come from him,” the producer added.
Olsen joined the film in the leading role of Misty, saying, “I am a long-time fan of Todd’s work, and to collaborate with him on this film is a true dream.” After her work on ‘Love Child’ is completed, Olsen is slated to join the filming of A24’s romantic comedy, ‘Eternity.’ Starring opposite her, Melton will bring the character of Easy to life. Known for his performance as Reggie Mantle in ‘Riverdale,’ Melton’s upcoming works include the South Korean film ‘K-Pop: Lost in America’ and Alex Garland’s ‘Warfare.’
Films recently set up shop in New York include the Bob Dylan biopic ‘A Complete Unknown,’ the husband-wife duo Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s ‘Conscience,’ and Warner Bros’ ‘Shotgun Wedding.’ Texas is home to the upcoming productions ‘Iron Lung,’ ‘Kingsmen,’ and ‘Kill the Czar.’
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