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Angelina Jolie has a new project coming together. Today, it was announced that Jolie will be starring in Anxious People for director Marc Forster. The film will be bringing back together several of the folks who made A Man Called Otto, so fans of that movie should rejoice. Jolie obviously brings the star power that Tom Hanks had in that one. More below.
Here is the press release:
Black Bear and Hope Studios today announced that Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie and BAFTA-nominated director Marc Forster (A Man Called Otto, World War Z, Quantum of Solace) are teaming up on the feature adaptation of Anxious People, a brilliantly original and heartwarming tale that reunites the key players behind the 2022 feature adaptation of A Man Called Otto, which grossed over $110 million and has a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove), this uniquely uplifting story has been adapted for the screen by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter David Magee (A Man Called Otto, Life of Pi, Finding Neverland).
Hope Studios’ Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (A Man Called Otto, Borg vs. McEnroe) and Renée Wolfe (A Man Called Otto, Christopher Robin) of 2DUX2 will produce, with Marc Forster, David Magee and Neda Backman executive producing. Black Bear will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market, with WME Independent handling the US rights.
The day before Christmas Eve, investment banker Zara (Jolie) begrudgingly finds 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. A poignant, charming film 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.
Angelina Jolie is one of the most influential actresses and filmmakers working in Hollywood today. Her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide, with standout roles in global hits such as Maleficent and Salt, as well as her Academy Award-winning turn in Girl, Interrupted and her critically acclaimed performance in Maria. Jolie directed, produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed First They Killed My Father, and directed the Academy Award-nominated Unbroken. She is a Tony-award winning producer on the Broadway musical The Outsiders.
Director Marc Forster gained critical acclaim with Monster’s Ball, which earned Halle Berry an Academy Award, and further established his reputation with Finding Neverland, earning him BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Director. Forster has since directed a diverse array of films, including Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, World War Z, and A Man Called Otto.
Celebrated screenwriter David Magee is especially renowned for his skilled adaptations of literary works into acclaimed films. Alongside A Man Called Otto, his notable screenplays include Finding Neverland, Life of Pi, both of which were Academy Award nominated, Mary Poppins Returns, and The Little Mermaid.
Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, Anxious People, The Winners, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His next novel, My Friends, will be published in the US on May 6, 2025. His books are published in more than forty countries.
“To have the phenomenal Angelina Jolie anchoring Anxious People is testament both to the strength of Fredrik Backman’s storytelling, and the team we have assembled around this project including our wonderful partners fromA Man Called Otto, including Marc, David and Renée,” said producer Wikström Nicastro. “Fredrik’s novels speak to our shared humanity in a way that really moves audiences, and we’re proud to be able to deliver another heartwarming and hilarious adaptation of his work.”
“Anxious People is a uniquely warm and heartfelt story that speaks to our chaotic times by asking us to step outside of our own stories and slow down enough to actually see one another. It is set a week before Christmas and highlights a time when generosity and giving are values that are more in focus. Sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic and always entertaining, Anxious People is a book that has sold over 6 million copies world-wide and, with Angelina Jolie playing the lead and Marc Forster directing, will surely prove to be a movie that will captivate millions more,” said producer Renée Wolfe.
“I am excited to bring Anxious People to life — it’s a story filled with humor, heart, chaos, and unexpected hope,” commented Marc Forster. “Fredrik Backman has a rare gift for capturing the quiet beauty in everyday people, and I’m thrilled to reunite with the brilliant David Magee to tell this story. We’re incredibly lucky to have Angelina Jolie at the center of it all — she brings such depth and vulnerability to her work.”
“I’m incredibly proud and happy to be a small part of this extraordinary group of talent. Angelina Jolie is, of course, one of a kind. I can’t imagine leaving Zara in better hands,” added Fredrik Backman. “Fredrik Nicastro really had a vision for this story from day one, and to get to see it through the eyes of David Magee, Marc Forster and Renée Wolfe is an absolute dream scenario for Neda and me.”
Hope Studios has offices in Stockholm and London, and develops, finances, produces, and sells international films and TV for the global market. Hope Studios has an overall deal with Black Bear, which partners with the company on international sales and distribution. 2DUX2, owned by Marc Forster and Renée Wolf will also serve as a production company on the film.
Hope Studios’ current slate also includes The Night House, an adaptation of master storyteller Jo Nesbø’s chilling novel of the same name starring Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad,” The Last House on the Left) and Jacob Tremblay (Room, Good Boys), which is set to shoot this summer in Álava, Spain. The studio is also setting up a feature adaptation of Robin Sharma’s The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, the internationally bestselling book about a life-changing journey, filled with powerful life lessons that teach us how to abandon consumerism in order to live life to the full and discover lasting joy, freedom and peace.
Black Bear’s upcoming slate includes Train Dreams which launched at Sundance, where it sold to Netflix; The Rivals of Amziah King starring Matthew McConaughey; Guy Ritchie’s Wife & Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins; Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman heist thriller, Tuner; Jason Statham’s currently untitled action movie from director Ric Roman Waugh; David Michôd’s untitled Christy Martin film starring Sydney Sweeney as the champion boxer; and Gregg Araki’s provocative thriller, I Want Your Sex, starring Olivia Wilde.
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