Fresh off theTransparentmusical finale, three-time Emmy nomineeGaby Hoffmannis in talks to star oppositeJoaquin Phoenixin an untitled A24 drama from writer-directorMike Mills, Collider has exclusively learned.
While official plot details remain under wraps, sources say that Phoenix will play a documentary filmmaker whose latest project involves gifted children, while the story will find him bonding with his smart-yet-sensitive nephew, whose father struggles with bipolar disorder and is in the grips of a manic episode. Hoffmann’s role is being kept under wraps, but one source described the character as the film’s female lead.
Mills is the Oscar-nominated writer behind20th Century Women, and his latest film is being produced byChelsea Barnard,Lila YacoubandAndrea Longacre-White. Production is slated to start next month in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Louisiana.
I couldn’t confirm whether Hoffmann has a deal in place at this time, but it’s unlikely she would turn down the chance to work with Mills or Phoenix, the latter of whom is red-hot right now thanks toJoker, which is poised to top the box office once again, much toWill Smith’s chagrin. Should she close a deal, the A24 film would be her first feature since the 2015 indieManhattan Romance.
Hoffmann is best known for playing Ali Pfefferman on Amazon’s award-winning seriesTransparent, though she has been acting since she was a child in films likeUncle Buck,Sleepless in Seattle, andNow and Then.Transparentbrought her two Emmy nominations, and she received a third for her guest starring turn on HBO’sGirlsasAdam Driver’s sister. Hoffman previously appeared in A24’sObvious Child, and she’s currently filmingAdam McKay’s untitled HBO series about the Showtime-era Lakers.
Hoffmann has also transitioned behind the camera of late, as recently directed an episode of theDuplass brothers' HBO seriesRoom 104. She’s represented by UTA, which like A24, declined to comment. For more on Hoffman’s new Lakers series,click here.
