Stephen Frears and Christopher Hampton are currently facing challenges in securing funding for their adaptation of Jonathan Coe’s novel ‘Mr Wilder & Me’, but they remain hopeful about collaborating on the project.
Stephen Frears and Christopher Hampton Discuss ‘Wilder & Me’ and Ian Charleson Biopic
Stephen Frears and Christopher Hampton are currently facing challenges in securing funding for their adaptation of Jonathan Coe’s novel Mr Wilder & Me, but they remain hopeful about collaborating on the project.
Funding Challenges for ‘Wilder & Me’
“We’d like to make it happen, but it’s a difficult time for finding money,” said Oscar-nominated director Frears, referring to the project titled Wilder & Me, which was first announced in 2024.
Frears spoke to Deadline before receiving a lifetime achievement award alongside Hampton at the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival in Provence, France. The event featured an open-air screening of their 1988 classic Dangerous Liaisons, which earned three Oscars, including Best Writing for Hampton.
The Story Behind Coe’s Novel
Coe’s novel is set against the backdrop of Hollywood director Billy Wilder’s struggles to produce his penultimate film, Fedora. Hampton confirmed that the previously announced cast, including Christoph Waltz, Maya Hawke, John Turturro, and Jon Hamm, remains intact, although securing financing continues to be a challenge.
Other Projects in Development
Frears revealed he is waiting for a screenplay by Stephen Beresford for a biopic about Ian Charleson, the celebrated Scottish actor known for his roles in Chariots of Fire and Gandhi. Charleson, who passed away at 40 from AIDS in 1990, advocated for public awareness of the illness.
Hampton, who won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for The Father, has numerous projects underway, including The Noise of Time, a biopic about Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, and a film exploring the relationship between feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nelson Algren.
Elsa Zylberstein has been cast as de Beauvoir, while the search for an actor to portray Algren is ongoing.
Upcoming Productions
Further films in development include Embers, an adaptation of his 2006 stage play, and a long-gestated film version of his 1993 stage musical Sunset Boulevard. Hampton is also revising his 1985 stage play for Dangerous Liaisons ahead of a production at the National Theatre next year.
“Looking at it again now, there are a few things that need attention,” said Hampton, without specifying the changes.
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Highlights from the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival
The honorary awards and the Dangerous Liaisons screening were highlights of the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival, which took place over the weekend. Despite rumors of John Malkovich’s appearance, the event featured an engaging Q&A with Frears and Hampton about their experiences bringing Dangerous Liaisons to the big screen.
The duo shared anecdotes about competing with Miloš Forman, who was also adapting the novel into his film, Valmont. “It’s always good to have other people making the same film,” Frears remarked. “It puts a rocket up your arse.”
Hampton added that their decision to cast American actors, including Malkovich, Glenn Close, and Michelle Pfeiffer, led to frequent transatlantic flights for rehearsals. “We did a lot of work on planes because the whole thing was such a tremendous rush,” he recalled.
They once found themselves on the same flight as UK producer David Puttnam, who expressed envy over their creative process. Hampton humorously noted that Puttnam advised them to cut a crucial scene, saying, “It was terrible advice… trust nobody, especially an executive.”
A Unique Venue for Film Festival
The fourth SCAD Lacoste Film Festival ran from June 26 to 28, coinciding with the Savannah College of Art & Design’s summer semester. Interestingly, Lacoste is home to the Chateau of the Marquis de Sade, which some literary experts suggest may have inspired Dangerous Liaisons author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
Regardless of the historical accuracy, Close’s portrayal of the manipulative Marquise de Merteuil opposite Malkovich’s Vicomte de Valmont unfolded against the backdrop of Sade’s castle.
