Ridley Scott's House of Gucci will be like a tragic, high-end soap opera, according to its director of photography Dariusz Wolski. The upcoming film, currently in production in Italy, will track the murder of fashion icon Maurizio Gucci, grandson of the founder of the Gucci fashion house founder Guccio Gucci. The film is set to star a cast of formidable Hollywood power players, with Adam Driver and Lady Gaga playing Maurizio Gucci and Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli, respectively. The film will show Maurizio's death and the trial wherein Patrizia is accused of hiring a hit man to murder her husband.
House of Gucci will be Gaga's second major film role after her star-making turn in 2018's A Star is Born. Gaga went all the way to the Oscars with the Bradley Cooper directed film, netting a nomination for Best Actress for her major debut role. She went on to snag one trophy for Best Original Song with the number one hit "Shallow." Driver is no stranger to the Academy Awards having been nominated two years in a row for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor in BlacKkKlansmen and Marriage Story, respectively.
With House of Gucci primed for a release in the midst of the 2021 awards season, many are speculating if Scott can take the film all the way to the 2022 Oscars and its unique blend of storytelling may just help him do that. Wolski tells The Film Stage that House of Gucci blends kitsch, comedy, and tragedy to make a high-end soap opera that evokes its 80s and 90s setting perfectly. He also cites the "crazy cast" as something that helps sell this high-powered concept.
This film, because it’s high fashion ’80s and ’90s, it’s going to be a little different. I’m still trying to find a look for it. The ‘80s weren’t a particularly good-looking period. The fashion world or these fashion shows, they were not that great looking. You look at the big coats and stuff and [go] hmm… So it’s a bit of a kitschy, funny, tragic tragedy — like a high-end soap opera. With a crazy cast as well.
In addition to Gaga and Driver, Jared Leto stars in a near unrecognizable role as Paolo Gucci, Maurizio's cousin. Also set to star is Salma Hayek as Pina Auriemma, Patrizia's clairvoyant friend. Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Jack Huston are also set to star. House of Gucci doesn't have a release date yet, but with filming underway in Italy, it seems Scott's next feature could hit theaters by the end of the year. Gaga will be gunning for her second Oscar nomination and, by all accounts, it sounds like she's perfect for the role of Patrizia.
Gaga has spent much of her career, both in Hollywood and in the music industry, utilizing melodrama to its maximum effect, including her appearances in American Horror Story. It certainly seems like House of Gucci is gearing up to give Gaga the star treatment yet and photos from the set show that she is perfect for the role. Driver, too, has proven his chameleon like ability to blend into his roles, making House of Gucci quite possibly one of the most highly anticipated films of the latter half of 2021.
Source: The Film Stage