Roman Polanski to direct 'Venus in Fur' adaptation

Roman Polanski arrives at the Cannes premiere of Alain Resnais' "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" this past May.

Credit: AP Photo/Joel Ryan

Roman Polanski is taking on Broadway.

While he may not be able to travel to New York City without fear of being arrested, the "Carnage" director has nevertheless signed on to direct an adaptation of David Ives' Tony-nominated play "Venus in Fur," which he will shoot in France with stars Emmanuelle Seigner (also Polanski's wife) and Louis Garrel ("The Dreamers").

“I’ve been looking for a chance to make a film in French with Emmanuelle for a long time,” said Polanski in a statement. “Reading 'Venus in Fur' I realized the moment had arrived. I got so fired up to put this brilliant black comedy on film that I decided to fit it in before 'D.,' whose screenplay and pre-production will demand a few more months. Louis Garrel and Emmanuelle Seigner will make for a stunning duo.”

"D.," in case you were wondering, is Polanski's previously-announced film based on the historic Dreyfus affair, a French political scandal from the late 19th century that revolved around the treason trial of Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus.

"Venus in Fur" centers on the power dynamic between two individuals: a writer-director and an actress who shows up to audition for his stage adaptation of the famed Leopold von Sacher-Masoch novella "Venus in Furs." The two-person production, which received Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Actress in a Play (Nina Arianda) earlier this year, opened Off-Broadway in January 2010.

Polanski's last film, 2011's "Carnage" starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly, received mixed-to-positive reviews and grossed over $27 million worldwide, the majority of that in foreign markets. It netted both Foster and Winslet Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress.

Will you be seeing Polanski's "Venus in Fur"? Sound off with your thoughts below.

Chris Eggertsen
Producer

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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.