Steven Spielberg tapped Once Upon a Time in Hollywood breakout star Julia Butters for his next film. Butters caught the attention of moviegoers with her brief, yet memorable role as Trudi Fraser opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film. After delivering such an impressive performance, she drew interest from several big players in Hollywood, including Spielberg and the Russo brothers (Avengers: Endgame).
Spielberg's next film is currently untitled, but it is set to be loosely based on his childhood growing up in Arizona in the late 1950s and '60s, which was around the time that he began experimenting with making home movies. The young filmmaker based on Spielberg will be portrayed by Gabriel LaBelle (Dead Shack, The Predator). Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn, Blue Valentine) has already been cast to play a role inspired by Spielberg's mom, but will have a separate and an original voice. Seth Rogen (This Is the End, Sausage Party) is cast as a character based on Spielberg's favorite uncle, while Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine) will play the character inspired by Spielberg's father.
Deadline reported the news of Butters' addition to the Amblin film's cast, with the actress set to play a character inspired by Spielberg's sister. The screenplay is written by Spielberg and Tony Kushner (Lincoln, West Side Story), which will mark the first time the director has been credited as such since 2001's A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. The untitled project will be filming this summer with a tentative release date of sometime in 2022.
Previously, Butters played Ella on Transparent. Now only 12-years-old, Butters has gone from a Tarantino film to being cast in a Spielberg feature. Already, she's proving her skill and talent by attracting the attention of Hollywood's most high-profile directors, paving the way for a long and successful career despite her young age. That will continue as she's currently filming a big-budget action thriller film directed by the Russo brothers called The Gray Man.
Given that Spielberg is credited as a co-writer on a film inspired by his younger years, it will be exciting to see the director return to a more intimate and personal feature. Considering the subject matter, stellar cast, and likely Academy Awards push, this project will be one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2022. As filming gets underway, it will be interesting to learn more about the story specifics. After stealing every moment Butters had on screen in Tarantino's most recent film, she will continue to be one to watch in every project that she works on, especially alongside a cast as impressive as this one.
Source: Deadline