Nowadays, the world can’t stop thinking about—and making references to—Marilyn Monroe (AKA Norma Jean Baker).
And now, not long after Kim Kardashian wore her iconic ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress to the Met Gala, there is a biopic about the star underway—and it’s shaping up to be the most authentic representation of the siren yet.
Created by Netflix, the biopic about Monroe, titled Blonde, is already breaking ground on the streaming giant. Already labelled with a R18+ rating, the film has an adult-only certification for its content.
On June 16, the first official images and trailer was released, revealing lead actor Ana de Armas of Knives Out and Deep Water fame as Monroe.
Then in July, a second full length trailer revealed de Armas fully immersed in the iconic role. Featuring mostly black and white scenes of the star in some of her darkest moments of uncertainty, the trailer features a hauntingly slow version of Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend overlaid with recreations of Monroe’s iconic moments—think that air vent scene, the checkered dress, the on-stage charisma, it’s all there.
Watch the trailer in full below:
The first official stills from the biopic are also a sight to behold—de Armas has morphed into the Old Hollywood siren perfectly. 2022 is definitely the 34-year-old’s year.
The film has been produced by Brad Pitt and was made by Australian director Andrew Dominik, paired with a supporting cast playing some of the ’50s and ’60s biggest figures in culture and history.
Below, find out everything we know (so far) about the Marilyn Monroe biopic, Blonde.
What is the plot of Blonde?
While the world already knows all about the trials and tribulations in Marilyn Monroe’s life, the biopic has been based on a book of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates.
The 700-page historical fiction novel followed Monroe’s life—and specifically her personal life—and explored the theory that Monroe’s 1962 death was actually an assassination. Oates’ novel was so popular that it was previously turned into a two-part mini-series only one year after the book hit the shelves.
As for Blonde‘s screenplay, it looks as if Oates didn’t have much of a role in writing it. Instead, the credit has been paid to Dominik. Oates has already shared her public support for the project, calling the footage that she has already been sent as “brilliant” on Twitter.
Who will be cast in Blonde?
As we already know, de Armas is playing Monroe herself, with the rest of the film’s cast being made up of several well-known names.
As per TimeOut, Adrien Brody will be playing the Playwright, otherwise known as Monroe’s husband, Death of a Salesman writer Arthur Miller; and Bobby Cannavale will star as the ex-athlete, also a husband of Monroe, Yankees superstar Joe DiMaggio. Joining them will be Casper Phillipson, who will star as former U.S. president, John F. Kennedy.
Produced by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment, the film is also set to be scored by famous musician, Nick Cave.
Taking to Instagram, de Armas shared her warm wishes to Monroe for what would have been her 96th birthday, referring to her by her birth name, Norma.
“I can’t wait to celebrate you this year. ♥️”
What is the release date for Blonde?
As for when Marilyn Monroe fans can expect to watch Blonde, the film is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022, and will move to Netflix on September 23.
Keep your eyes peeled here for any further updates.
