EXCLUSIVE: After launching his acting career in Dunkirk, Harry Styles looks to have found his follow-up. He is has landed one of the lead roles in the New Line thriller Don’t Worry Darling, the next directing outing for Olivia Wilde. Styles replaces Shia LaBeouf, who had to depart the project due to a scheduling conflict.
Styles would join Florence Pugh and Chris Pine who signed on earlier this year. Wilde has a key supporting role onscreen.
Although little is known about the movie’s plot, Don’t Worry, Darling is set in an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert. Katie Silberman wrote the screenplay based on a spec script by Shane and Carey Van Dyke.
The high profile project is gaining momentum as it carefully eyes a fall production start.
Related Story
Olivia Wilde Tapped To Direct Untitled Female-Centered Marvel Movie At Sony
New Line Cinemas is backing the film and considers it a high priority, having landed rights after a heated bidding war due to the critical acclaim of Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart.
Catherine Hardwicke is executive producing the film alongside Shane and Carey Van Dyke. Wilde and Silberman will produce along with Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment. Richard Brener, Daria Cercek and Celia Khong will oversee the project for New Line.
While Styles’ attachment to anything draws appeal to the project, insiders say Warner Bros execs have always been looking for that next thing after being blown away by his acting chops in Dunkirk. Sources add after impressing Wilde and Pugh during an initial meeting, the feeling was mutual to get Styles to sign on to the project.
He is repped by CAA and Full Stop Management.
As one of the most in-demand filmmakers, Wilde is set to direct an upcoming Marvel project and will direct and executive produce the Searchlight feature Perfect. Her directorial debut Booksmart won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and was one of the best reviewed films of 2019.