Harsh Vardhan
‘The Friend,’ starring Naomi Watts, is set to commence filming in New York later this month. Based on Sigrid Nunez’s novel of the same name, the drama film explores the profound connection between a woman and her Great Dane. The narrative revolves around Watts’ writer, who adopts a Great Dane previously owned by a late friend and mentor, delving into the themes of love, friendship, grief, and healing. Nunez’s novel is the recipient of the National Book Award for Fiction in 2018.
Scott McGehee and David Siegel are directing the movie based on their screenplay. Their latest release is the 2021 drama ‘Montana Story,’ starring Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague. The directing duo also helmed Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgård-starrer ‘What Maisie Knew,’ which was released in 2012. Their other credits include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins-starrer ‘Uncertainty’ and Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche-starrer ‘Bee Season.’
Watts, renowned for her performance in David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive,’ is set to feature in upcoming projects such as the second season of Netflix’s ‘The Watcher‘ and Audrey Diwan’s erotic film ‘Emmanuelle.’ In ‘The Watcher,’ the actress portrayed Nora Brannock, who receives terrifying letters from a stalker. Her recent credits include Marie Dedea in ‘This Is the Night,’ Amy in ‘The Desperate Hour,’ Mother in ‘Goodnight Mommy,’ and Pam in ‘Infinite Storm.’
The film is produced by Liza Chasin, a seasoned executive from Working Title who worked with Watts on Showtime’s drama miniseries ‘The Loudest Voice.’ Chasin brings her expertise to the production under her 3dot Productions banner, while McGehee and Siegel also serve as producers through their company, Big Creek Projects. Chasin’s recent credits include ‘Yesterday,’ ‘Cats,’ ‘Stillwater,’ and ‘The Lost City.’
New York continues to be a bustling center for entertainment production, having hosted the shooting of last year’s notable projects like Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon‘ and David Fincher’s ‘The Killer.’ The state will also host the shooting of Noah Baumbach’s ‘Jay Kelly’ and Michelle Williams’ ‘Dying for Sex’ in the upcoming months.
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