Patricia Highsmith wrote 22 novels (plus many short stories) and is best known for her psychological thrillers – including the five-book series that followed the character Tom Ripley, who has been brought to the screen several times over the decades, most recently in a Netflix series called Ripley. Now, Variety has revealed that Highsmith and her Ripley stories are at the center of a thriller called Switzerland, which stars Helen Mirren (1923) as the author and is now filming in Rome, Italy.
Mirren is joined in the cast by Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer) and Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon).
Based on a play by Joanna Murray-Smith, who has also written the screenplay, Switzerland tells a fictional story that sees Mirren playing Highsmith at a time when the aging queen of thrillers is fading away in Switzerland. A young literary agent named Edward (Ehrenreich), tries to coax her out of retirement to pen one last installment of her popular “Ripley” series. It soon becomes clear that the charming agent is on a more sinister mission. As they begin to collaborate on a new “Ripley” plot, the world they live in and the one they are constructing become blurred. Details on the character Cooke is playing have not been revealed.
Anton Corbijn, whose previous credits include Control, A Most Wanted Man, and The American, is directing the film. Gabrielle Tana, Troy Lum, and Andrew Mason are producing for Brouhaha Entertainment; Jim Robison and Kurt Martin for Lunar Pictures; Karl Spoerri for Switzerland’s Zurich Avenue; and Andrea Occhipinti for Italy’s Lucky Red. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales. The Italian line producer is Enrico Ballarin.
If you’re wondering why a project called Switzerland isn’t filming in Switzerland, rest assured, it will get there. Filming is set to take place in Rome until mid-February, at which time it will be moving on to Italy’s Alpine Alto Adige-South Tyrol area, then to Switzerland and London as well.
I have always been interested in the Ripley stories, so I’m intrigued to see how this story that involves the writing of Ripley plays out.
Does Switzerland sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this Helen Mirren / Patricia Highsmith thriller by leaving a comment below.
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