Charlotte Rampling joins Kneecap star Jessica Reynolds in new psychological drama
Opera director Edwina Casey will helm her first feature film with Maya Butterfly, starring Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling.
Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling have been cast in psychological drama Maya Butterfly.
The Kneecap rising star is joining forces with the Oscar-nominated actress in the upcoming Irish drama, which is set in the world of opera and has been described as Tar meets Sound of Metal.
As reported by Variety, opera director Edwina Casey, who is making her feature film directorial debut with the project, said: "I am honoured to be realising this film with two immensely talented artists: Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling.
"Told in the first-person perspective, Maya Butterfly will be a sensory experience of one singer’s destructive process during the most important week of her career.
"Through its combination of musical theatrics and character-led storytelling, it will be a testament to my love of modern, inclusive, cinema and I am sincerely grateful to Screen Ireland for the continued support.”
Irish opera director Casey previously won the Bingham Ray New Talent Award, with a career spanning international opera, film and commercial directing.
According to the official synopsis, the movie will tell the story "of a rising soprano who is secretly losing her hearing and must fight to survive the opening week of a radical opera production, until the truth threatens to destroy both her career and her identity".
Wildcard's Patrick O'Neill will produce alongside Hail Mary Pictures duo Conor Barry and Richard Bolger, plus Village Films' Paul Kennedy and SAMSA Film's Bernard Michaux.
O'Neill hailed the upcoming movie as "something audiences have not seen before", while teasing a cinema release in 2027.
He added: "We are thrilled to be working with Edwina on Maya Butterfly.
“It’s an incredible story, and set to be an ambitious, thrilling, and emotional film made for the big screen.
"It’s always exciting to work on a unique film, something audiences have not seen before, and We cannot wait to bring the film to cinemas next year.”
Principal photography is underway, and filming will take place on location at the National Opera House in Wexford and Belfast.
Further casting details and a release date are yet to be confirmed.
