Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is set to star in the feature adaptation of the hit Scandi novel "Anxious People" for "A Man Called Otto" and "World War Z" director Marc Forster.
Based on "A Man Called Ove" author Fredrik Backman’s novel, the project is being launched ahead of the Cannes market by Black Bear and Hope Studios with the former handling international sales and WME Independent handling domestic.
The uplifting comedy, set on the day before Christmas Eve, sees investment banker Zara (Jolie) begrudgingly find herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house. When a reluctant bank robber inadvertently takes the group hostage, chaos and oversharing ensues, secrets are revealed and literally nothing goes according to plan.
The movie is described as being “about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined…Through an ingeniously constructed story, Anxious People explores the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope — the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.”
The story has been adapted for the screen by Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Magee, known for movies including "A Man Called Otto", "Life of Pi", and "Finding Neverland".
The movie will reunite some of the key players behind the 2022 feature adaptation of "A Man Called Otto" ($110M global box office), also based on Backman’s novel. Hope Studios’ Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (A Man Called Otto) and Renée Wolfe (A Man Called Otto) of 2DUX2 will produce, with Forster, Magee and Neda Backman executive-producing.
Netflix made a Swedish TV series version of the book back in 2021.
"Maleficent", "Girl, Interrupted" and "Tomb Raider" actress Jolie was a Tony winner last year for producing on Broadway musical "The Outsiders".
She most recently starred in Pablo Larraín’s Oscar-nominated biopic about Maria Callas and directed "First They Killed My Father".
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