Angelina Jolie is filming in Paris!
On Wednesday, Jolie, 48, was seen on the set of her new movie Maria, which stars the Academy Award-winning actress as opera singer Maria Callas, in France’s capital. The movie was filming at Paris’ Palais-Royal, a former royal palace that now houses a number of the country’s government offices, including its Ministry of Culture.
Jolie could be seen wearing all-black costumes as she filmed scenes. In one snapshot, she wore a headscarf around her hair as a camera crew trailed just behind her; in other photos from the set, she wore a large black hat and glasses as she stood underneath an umbrella with her son Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 22.
The Maleficent star is teaming up with filmmaker Pablo LarraÃn for the movie, which secured a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement in order to film during the ongoing Hollywood actors strike. LarraÃn, 47, is known for his other biographical films, Spencer and Jackie, which featured Oscar-nominated performances from Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana and Natalie Portman as former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, respectively.
Maria released its first official images on Monday, giving audiences a first look at Jolie as Callas. The official images showcased Jolie wearing the same glasses she wore on set in Paris, as well as a wide-brimmed lace hat in one photo.
Maria promises to tell the “tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris,” according to a press release issued at the time Jolie’s involvement in the movie was announced last year.
Callas was an American-born Greek opera singer whose vocal range famously spanned three octaves, which made her an international opera star during the mid-20th century. She died in Paris in 1977 of a heart attack at age 53, according to The Guardian.
Steven Knight, who also wrote 2021’s Spencer, wrote the script for Maria prior to Hollywood’s WGA strike, allowing for production to begin so soon after that strike ended on Sept. 27.
“I am incredibly excited to start production on Maria, which I hope will bring Maria Callas’s remarkable life and work to audiences all around the world, thanks to the magnificent script by Steven Knight, the work of the entire cast and crew, and especially, Angelina’s brilliant work and extraordinary preparation,” LarraÃn said in a recent statement.
Filming for Maria will take place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan. It will feature original garments worn by Callas during her lifetime, according to a press release.
The movie will mark Jolie’s first appearance on the big screen since 2021’s Eternals. The actress recently told Vogue that she feels she is “in transition as a person,” adding, “I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade.”
Jolie also said during that interview that she intentionally began taking fewer film roles seven years ago, “only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots.”
Maria does not yet have a planned release date.
