One of the most anticipated movies of the year is Netflix’sBlonde, a biopic about the iconic Old Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. In new set photos and film stills,Ana de Armas transforms into a convincing portrayal of Monroe.
In the past month, audiences have seen a few other stills as well asa shortBlondeteaser trailer, all building up hype for the film’s hotly anticipated debut at Venice International Film Festival in late August. Now, audiences have received even more new photos from the upcomingNetflixmovie.
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The latest sneak peek from Vanity Fair shows de Armas on set portraying the legendary Marilyn Monroe — real name Norma Jeane Mortenson. In one still, the production team trying to recreate an iconic photo of Monroe with New York Yankees all-star Joe DiMaggio, played here by Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire,Mr. Robot), as director Andrew Dominik holds up the original photo for reference. In another picture, de Armas is shown in black and white with Charlie Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams). The on-set photos show the team’s commitment to visual authenticity, and de Armas melts away into her performance as Monroe. Despite the attempt at accuracy, however, the film is not simply based on the actress’ life story, but rather Joyce Carol Oates' 2000 historical novelBlonde. In the novel, Oates mixes loose facts of Monroe’s tragic life with moments of fiction, speculating on what might have happened behind closed doors.
de Armas is quickly becoming a major star, with significant supporting roles infilms likeBlade Runner 2049,Knives Out,No Time to Die, andThe Gray Man. However, her bravura performance inBlonde, expected to be one of the biggest movies of the year,will likely launch her career even further. Director Dominik previously made the biopicThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Fordas well as two documentaries in the U.K.,One More Time with FeelingandThis Much I Know to be True, so a film inspired by real-life events will be right up his alley.
WithBlonde, Netflix is no doubt hoping for awards at the next Oscars. At the very least they can expect to be in contention for Best Actress with de Armas, but they likely have their eye on Best Picture as well. For the past 5 years or so, the streaming company has been pushing major prestige films in order to make waves at the Oscars, with their ultimate goal being the coveted Best Picture win. They’ve come close, most notably withRomain 2019andThe Power of the Dogearlier this year, but so far they have had no luck. To make matter worse, Apple TV beat them to the punch by notching the first ever Best Picture win for a streaming film withCODA. The Netflix executives were no doubt burned, and they can be expected to up their game.
Indeed,Blondeis a very ambitious and unusual project for the company because of its unconventional subject matter. TheMarilyn Monroe film was given a rare NC-17 rating, most likely from extensive nudity and graphic sex scenes, and it will be the first such film ever distributed by a streaming platform. AlthoughBlondewill almost certainly not win Best Picture, it will absolutely be a film to look out for later this year.
