EXCLUSIVE: Alice Birch’s directorial debut Sweetsick starring Cate Blanchett at Searchlight Pictures has added Alien: Romulus actor Spike Fearn to its cast.
The movie follows a mercurial woman (Blanchett) with a strange and piercing gift – the ability to see what others most intimately need, often at great personal cost – who sets out on a journey home. More actors are expected to board the project.
Birch is also writing, with Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Theo Barrowclough producing for House Productions (Conclave, Mint, The Wonder); Blanchett under her Dirty Films banner; and Lee Groombridge.
EPs are Farhana Bhula, Director of Film4; and Alice Whittemore, Development & Production Executive of Film4; Zoe Edwards, Harry Dixon and James Green for House Productions; and Danny Cohen and Len Blavatnik for Access Entertainment.
Fearn can also be seen in James L. Brooks’ Ella McCay, out on December 12, as well as Alicia MacDonald’s CC: Emily from Focus Features. The actor is repped by UTA, B-Side Management, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein.
Searchlight VP Development & Production Pete Spencer and Creative Executive Cameron Chidsey are overseeing the project, reporting in to Production & Development Heads Katie Goodson-Thomas and DanTram Nguyen.
Searchlight has the Bradley Cooper-directed movie Is This Thing On? starring Cooper, Will Arnett,
Ciarán Hinds, Amy Sedaris and Laura Dern, which is closing the New York Film Festival on October 10. Pic’s blurb: As their marriage unravels, Alex (Arnett) faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while his wife Tess (Dern) confronts sacrifices made for their family, forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identities. The movie opens limited December 19.