The first teaser trailer for the biopic of opera singer Maria Callas has just dropped. The film, which made its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday August 29, stars Angelina Jolie as the legendary soprano. The movie will be available on Netflix December 11, 2024, following a select theatrical release on November 27, 2024
The film is a creative imagining and psychological portrait of Maria Callas, set in Paris, September 1977, during the final week of Callas’ life. Maria follows the soprano as she negotiates her public image and private self and reckons with the increasingly blurred boundaries between the venerated “La Divina” and the vulnerable human being.
It is directed by Pablo Larraín from a screenplay by Steven Knight. Maria marks Larraín’s third biopic following Jackie and Spencer, centering on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, respectively.
Maria, which is said to include operatic interludes, features a supporting cast that includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Valeria Golino.
The story of Maria Callas has previously been told onstage in Terrence McNally’s play Master Class. The original 1996 production won three Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award, with the 2011 revival winning a Tony as well. The play follows a master class given by Callas late in her career in which she offers her musical advice, judgment, and thoughts on her contemporaries. Maria Callas has been portrayed by Tyne Daly, Zoe Caldwell, and Patti LuPone.
Photo credit: Pablo Larraín
