Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ eponymous 2000 novel, Killing Them Softly filmmaker, Andrew Dominik has directed a Netflix biopic, titled Blonde, on the life of the iconic Marilyn Monroe, starring Ana de Armas, that might be possibly up for Cannes consideration.
Dominik’s film will chronicle the legend’s life as she continues to be a pop-cultural phenomenon even decades after her death.
The graphic and raunchy content led to an unprecedented delay in the release. The overtly sexual and misogynistic undertones to the subject matter led to a possible NC-17, much to Dominik’s chagrin; an NC-17 rating might hinder the film from being released in certain US theatres.
He revealed that Blonde would be a “demanding movie” in an interview. The director did not hold back when he said, “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.”
Expressing his gratitude towards Netflix for letting him tell the story of an “unloved girl” who had to endure the “Hollywood meat-grinder” without interference, he denied the presence of any alleged cunnilingus scene with menstrual blood, calling the claims false yet “hilarious”. However, he has admitted to following the author’s intentions and included a rape scene in the film.
He talked about how they worked hard to make Cuban actress Ana de Armas “sound American”. He praised her by saying, “she is fucking amazing – the one thing nobody’s going to complain about is [her] performance.”
The streamer will most likely give the film an eight-month window between its theatrical release and its debut on the streamer itself.
Since 2017, this will be Netflix’s first-ever Cannes consideration if they manage to follow the strict chronology laws where the film must be released in French theatres for a 15-month window before the film’s release on the French service.
With changing rules and requirements for consideration, there has been no official confirmation for Blonde to be a part of Cannes official Selection.
Set to be released in 2022, the film has already generated quite the buzz and will star Ana de Armas in the lead, who will also be seen alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the upcoming 2022 Russo brothers film, The Gray Man. de Armas was previously seen in films like Knives Out, No Time to Die, Blade Runner etc.
