Warren Beatty‘s Howard Hughes movie has been a long-gestating passion project. And curiosity about it reached a fever pitch once news got out that the 79-year-old was using the latest in movie technology to make himself look younger in his depiction of the late business magnate, who was famous for his romances with screen sirens such as Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner.
Set in 1950s Hollywood, “Rules Don’t Apply” follows the relationship between a young actress (Lily Collins) and her driver (Alden Ehrenreich), as they encounter Hughes (Beatty).
After it had been shrouded in mystery for months, Beatty revealed a first look of the film to Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Wednesday, sharing its title and release date, plus insider details and new photos from the comedy drama.
See the top takeaways below.
1. The title of the film is “Rules Don’t Apply.”
2. It will be released Nov. 11 by 20th Century Fox.
3. It took Beatty several years to decide to finally make the movie.
It had been on his mind “for a long time,” he told EW. “We never met, but I sometimes feel like I knew everybody who knew Howard and I never lost my curiosity about him,” he added.
4. The Oscar winner prefers fatherhood to moviemaking.
“I have four children and any one of them is more interesting than any 12 movies I’ve done,” Beatty said, explaining that’s why he hasn’t worked on a film for 15 years.
5. The story doesn’t revolve around Hughes.
Contrary to prior reports that characterized the film as a Hughes biopic (much like Martin Scorsese‘s “The Aviator” starring Leonardo DiCaprio), Beatty made it clear the film focuses on a romance between the two younger characters, played by Collins and Ehrenreich. They work for Hughes and find themselves challenged by his strict rule about employee fraternization.
6. It takes place in the late 1950s.
“This is a story about a young man and a young woman who come to Hollywood, both of whom are affected by American Protestant, American Puritan morality on the brink of the sexual revolution and the rise of feminism that was to take place in the early ’60s,” Beatty explained.
7. It’s a comedy, with some drama.
Beatty was reluctant to call it an all-out “dramady.”
8. Collins didn’t audition.
The 27-year-old actress (and daughter of rock star Phil Collins) simply had “to read the script in his library at his house and return it right away,” she said.
9. Ehrenreich and Collins rehearsed their lines for months at Beatty’s house.
“We didn’t just rehearse the scenes, we played board games,” Collins revealed. “It was like summer camp — a really intense summer camp.”
10. There’s a big supporting cast of well-knowns.
Also appearing in the film: Beatty’s wife Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Steve Coogan, Taissa Farmiga, Ed Harris, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt, and Martin Sheen.