Six years ago Ben Foster played American author and Beat Generation member William S. Burroughs in Kill Your Darlings, a killer dramatic ensemble that kinda flew under the radar. I remember being sorta obsessed with it before and after its premiere at Sundance. Something about Burroughs must have really connected with Burroughs as he’s coming back to play the influential writer again, only this time in his own directorial debut, and joining him will be none other than Kristen Stewart.
Foster will make his directorial debut in an untitled film about Burroughs, in which he’ll star alongside Stewart and Dunkirk actor Tom Glynn-Carney. Oren Moverman co-wrote the script with Foster, having previously worked together on The Messenger. The story is said to follow the unusual relationship between Burroughs, his muse and common-law wife Joan Vollmer (Stewart), and an American ex-pat named Allerton (Glynn-Carney). Presumably, the latter is Eugene Allerton, a fictionalized character based on one of Burroughs’ real-life boyfriends. Burroughs and Vollmer had a turbulent relationship to put it mildly, with infidelity, drugs, and alcohol a constant presence in their lives. Things got so bad that Burroughs “accidentally” killed her in New Mexico and did everything his power to cover it up. Covering up murders seemed to be a thing among those Beat Generation guys.
While this is a return to the Beat Generation for Foster, it’s also one for Stewart who starred in 2012’s adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
This one’s pretty early on and is being shopped around Cannes, but with this level of talent finding buyers should be a breeze. [Deadline]
