Anxious People is the project on everyone’s lips this Cannes Film Festival.
Aimee Lou Wood and Angelina Jolie? The duo dreams are made of. The two actors are teaming up for Anxious People, a darkly comic hostage drama based on the novel A Man Called Ove by #1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman. With director Marc Forster at the helm, this could just be one of the most intriguing literary adaptations in recent years. And given that Wood and Jolie are taking on leading roles, it’s sure to be full of charisma and jaw-dropping performances.
Here’s everything we know so far.
What is Anxious People about?
As per Deadline, the synopsis for this project reads: “The day before Christmas Eve, investment banker Zara (Jolie) begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house. When a reluctant bank robber, Grace (Wood), inadvertently takes the group hostage, chaos and oversharing ensues, secrets are revealed and literally nothing goes according to plan. A film about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.”
Netflix actually released a TV adaptation of the novel in 2021, a six-part Swedish series directed by Felix Herngren – starring an Ekborg, Alfred Svensson and Marika Lagercrantz.
Who’s in the Anxious People cast?
The cast of Anxious People is shaping up to be a seriously impressive ensemble. Leading the film are Aimee Lou Wood, playing Grace, and Angelina Jolie, stepping into the role of Zara. While Wood plays the would-be bank robber whose botched crime sets everything in motion, Jolie’s character – a jaded banker — finds herself unexpectedly drawn into the chaos. Though additional casting details have yet to be announced, the story features a colourful lineup of hostages, each with their own backstory and secrets, so we’re expecting more big names to join soon.
The team behind the camera is just as impressive
Anxious People is being directed by Marc Forster, known for genre-hopping successes like Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner, and World War Z. The screenplay is adapted by David Magee, who previously collaborated with Forster on Finding Neverland and earned an Oscar nomination for Life of Pi.
The film is currently looking for domestic and international distributors at Cannes, via WME Independent and Black Bear Pictures.