Rachel Weisz is set to play Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor in a new biographical film called “A Special Relationship” written by the Oscar-winning writer of “Slumdog Millionaire,” Simon Beaufoy, it was announced Monday.
The film will chart Taylor’s post-film career turn to activism for HIV/AIDS awareness in the mid-1980s. Bert & Bertie, the female directing duo behind this year’s “Troop Zero,” will direct Weisz in the film.
See-Saw Films is producing “A Special Relationship,” with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman (“The King’s Speech,” “Lion”) serving as producers. Simon Gillis, See-Saw’s COO of film, and Danny Perkins are executive producing along with Barbara Berkowitz, Tim Mendelson and Quinn Tivey, trustees of the Elizabeth Taylor Estate and the House of Taylor Trust.
Beaufoy’s script follows Taylor in the mid-’80s after hiring her personal assistant Roger Wall, a gay man growing up in poverty in the Deep South, and how their relationship led her to advocating for awareness of AIDS even as the country and the Reagan administration turned a blind eye to the disease. Beaufoy drew from hours of interviews and conversations with those close to Taylor.
“Audiences are clearly fascinated by the private lives of iconic Hollywood stars. There is no one more iconic than Elizabeth Taylor and Simon Beaufoy has written a role that shines a light on Elizabeth’s humor and humanity which will be beautifully brought to life through the extraordinary talents of Rachel Weisz,” See-Saw Films’ Canning and Sherman said in a statement.
“At its heart, ‘A Special Relationship’ is a story of friendship … a celebration of how friendships can change people’s lives, and how Elizabeth helped change the world,” they added.
See-Saw’s in-house sales arm Cross City Films will launch sales on “A Special Relationship” at the American Film Market 2019 beginning next week.
Weisz is an Oscar winner for her work in “The Constant Gardner,” and she was just recently nominated for an Oscar for her work in “The Favourite” from last year. She’ll next be seen in Marvel’s “Black Widow” spinoff movie.