UPDATE: Confirmed. McInerny has officially replaced Soverall. Not sure what happened, but read between the lines, and you kind of get your answer. McInerrny was spotted on set with Fassbender.
EARLIER: Some murmurs coming out of the Portugal set of Brady Corbet's "The Origin of the World," and they could come with some major changes. There are issues arising.
According to a source, Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny, who flew to Portugal to start filming today.
McInerny was supposed to be at TIFF today to premiere her new film "Magazine," but she was a no-show, which only gives more credence to this rumor I'm hearing. More details in the coming hours.
“The Origin of the World” is actually shooting in Portugal first before heading to South Africa for the rest of its four-month shoot. The rest of the cast includes Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Selena Gomez and Joe Alwyn. Corbet is purposely shooting this one independently, and with no studio attached.
According to Corbet, “The Origin of the World” is “about American mysticism and the history of the occult in America,” though much of the project remains shrouded in mystery. The filmmaker had previously confirmed that he is working from an “X-rated” 200-page script that would run approximately four hours.
“The film spans from the 19th century into the present day — it’s just predominantly focused on the ’70s. The film is really, really genre-defying,” the director told THR.
This will mark Corbet’s fourth feature following “The Childhood of a Leader,” “Vox Lux,” and “The Brutalist,” the latter of which earned 10 Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Cinematography (Lol Crawley), and Best Original Score (Daniel Blumberg). Blumberg is returning to score ‘Origin,’ no word yet on whether Crawley, who is currently lensing Damien Chazelle’s new film in Greece, will be able to come back.
No studio is currently attached. I would bet either A24, Neon, or Mubi will acquire it. Regardless, it could be ready in time for a 2027 release.
The film will star Hugh Jackman, while Hugh Grant and Owen Cooper are circling roles. Jack Thorne, who is red-hot, thanks to his acclaimed Netflix series’ "Adolescence” and “Lord of the Flies,” wrote the script.