Fans who were hoping for another cinematic collaboration between Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola may have to console themselves with some cake for the time being.
Coppola told Elle in a profile published online Wednesday that a project in which Dunst was intending to star, with a planned shoot eyed for later this year, would no longer move forward. Specifics had been limited on the movie, including the title, plot details and a studio or producers, but Dunst had previously described the project as a period film that would center on a real-life historic figure.
According to Coppola, the film’s tone made it a tough choice for this current cultural moment. “It felt too sad,” she explained to Elle about the scrapped movie. “It’s confusing in these dark times. I want to offer some hope and beauty in the world, but then you also don’t want to do something shallow, because it feels like a time for deep things.”
During the press circuit to promote last year’s Roofman, Dunst told Town & Country that Coppola had penned a new script for the actress, with the project aiming to begin production in 2026. During an interview with Vogue, the Power of the Dog star added that the film would be a period piece and would shoot in the U.S.
When asked whether she would be playing a real-life person, Dunst replied, “Yes, but not someone who I’d consider famous.”
Coppola previously directed Dunst in The Virgin Suicides (1999), Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Beguiled (2017).
The filmmaker, whose recent credits include the 2023 Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla and the new Marc Jacobs-focused documentary Marc by Sofia, told Elle that she does not yet have a new project in mind as her next work. She had previously been developing a series for Apple TV+ based on Edith Wharton’s Custom of the Country, but with Sydney Sweeney attached to a feature adaptation, Coppola’s version is no longer in the works.
Meanwhile, news broke earlier Thursday that Dunst is set to appear in Warner Bros.’ forthcoming sequel to A Minecraft Movie. She had told Town & Country in last year’s interview that she hoped to appear in the franchise’s second film and reasoned, “Maybe I can just make a movie where I don’t lose money?”
