Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst’s New Movie Just Got Scrapped

Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst had a quietly buzzed-about period piece lined up. It just got shelved.

The Coppola-Dunst project hits pause

The Oscar-winning filmmaker says she pulled the plug after realizing the tone felt wrong for right now. In a recent interview, she explained:

'It felt too sad. It is confusing in these dark times. I want to offer some hope and beauty in the world, but then you also don’t want to do something shallow, because it feels like a time for deep things.'

Dunst, who had been set to star, called it a period story about a real person, but, as she put it, 'not someone who I’d consider famous.'

What we were going to get (and what we didn’t)

• Production was aiming to start later this year; details like title, studio, and plot stayed under wraps.
• Coppola wrote the script with Dunst in mind and planned to shoot in the United States.
• It would have continued Coppola’s run of period-driven work.
• Coppola and Dunst go way back together: The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and The Beguiled top their list of past collaborations.

So, what’s next?

Coppola says her next feature isn’t set yet. She had been developing an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country and even had a dream lead in mind: Jennifer Lawrence as Undine Spragg. As Coppola put it, 'I really wanted Jennifer Lawrence to play that character. In my head, she’s Undine. I think it required a big star and a big budget, so that iteration didn’t happen.' A very familiar bit of movie math.

Recent Coppola releases include Priscilla, her intimate take on Priscilla Presley’s story, and the documentary Marc by Sofia. As for Dunst, she is set to appear in the upcoming sequel to A Minecraft Movie after previously saying she hoped to jump into that franchise.

Disappointing? Sure. But when these two do reconnect, history says it’s worth the wait.