Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce confirmed as stars of “The Wife”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater have been confirmed as the stars of “The Wife”, which starts principal photography on Oct. 31, Variety reports.

Other members of the cast include Annie Starke (“Bastards,” “Albert Nobbs”), Max Irons (“Woman in Gold, “Terminal”) and Harry Lloyd (“Anthropoid,” “The Theory of Everything,” “The Iron Lady”).

“‘The Wife,’ with its wise and provocative tone, is a story built around a moment of revelation for Joan Castleman (Close), who is married to one of those men (Pryce) who own the world… and who has no idea how to take care of himself or anyone else,” according to a statement. “He is also one of America’s pre-eminent novelists, about to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature; and the flawlessly gracious Joan, who has spent 40 years ignoring her own literary talents to fan the flames of his career, has finally decided to stop.

“‘The Wife’ charts the course of a famous marriage and what has brought them to this breaking point. It raises intriguing questions about the nature of partnership and the precarious position of an ambitious woman in a man’s world, culminating in a surprising and unforgettable conclusion that outs a carefully kept secret.”

Close commented: “I have never played a character like Joan Castleman and am thrilled by the prospect of bringing her to life. I have huge admiration for Jonathan Pryce’s sublime talent and am honored to be partnering with him in ‘The Wife.’ The story is arresting and the characters are artists of the highest order — complex, passionate, flawed and movingly human. I adore Jane Anderson’s writing and look forward to being guided by Björn Runge.”

“The Wife” is produced by Rosalie Swedlin, Meta Louise Foldager, Piers Tempest and Claudia Bluemhuber.

London-based Embankment Films has secured multiple pre-sales throughout international territories and brokered the financing for the film, provided by Silver Reel, Creative Scotland, Film Väst, Chimney, the Swedish Film Institute and Svensk Filmindustri.

Embankment’s Tim Haslam commented: “’The Wife’ celebrates a woman who takes back the power that she should rightfully possess — in a thought-provoking, witty, dignified and graceful manner; and with a ‘twist’ ending that you really don’t see coming. ‘The Wife’ is for a cinema audience stimulated by powerful, intimate and award-winning performance at the highest level.”

Swedish director Björn Runge (“De Blaue Engel,” “Daybreak”), winner of Berlin’s Silver Bear, directs from a screenplay by screenwriter Jane Anderson (“Olive Kitteridge”), adapted from Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel.

Swedlin produces for Anonymous Content, Foldager Sørensen for Meta Film, Tempest and Jo Bamford for Tempo Productions, and Piodor Gustaffson for Spark Film and Television.

Embankment is selling international rights and CAA/WME co-represents the U.S.