Finnish director Zaida Bergroth, known for her work on Tove, is set to direct a biopic about the iconic singer Marianne Faithfull titled Marianne. The film will feature Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes star Freya Allan as Faithfull, the pop star who passed away in January. British actor and musician Jojo Macari, known for Sex Education and Those About to Die, will portray Mick Jagger.
Currently in pre-production, the project is being presented to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin by the UK’s Altitude Film Sales. The film will depict Marianne Faithfull’s tumultuous life, from her rise as a pop icon in the 1960s to her fall into homelessness and addiction, and her eventual comeback that solidified her legacy as one of the great artists of her time.
The screenplay is co-written by Bergroth and producer Julia Taylor-Stanley, who had previously been involved in another, now-shelved, Marianne Faithfull biopic. Marianne is produced by Taylor-Stanley of Artemis Films and Finnish producer Roosa Toivonen.
Faithfull, who passed away at 78, rose to fame with the 1964 single “As Tears Go By” and became known for her relationship with Mick Jagger. Her career faced significant challenges, including a drug bust in 1967 and periods of homelessness, but she found a career resurgence with her 1979 album Broken English.