Keira Knightley challenges the patriarchy and flirts up a storm — with both sexes — in the first trailer for Wash Westmoreland’s indie biopic “Colette” about the early-20th-century French novelist best known in the U.S. for the novella “Gigi.”
Knightley could be gunning for her third Oscar nomination for the showy role as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris when she marries a successful writer known commonly as “Willy” (Dominic West).
Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a best-seller and a cultural sensation.
After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette’s fight over creative ownership and gender roles drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.
The cast also includes Eleanor Tomlinson, Elaine Gough and Fiona Shaw.
In addition to directing, Westmoreland wrote the script with Richard Glatzer and Rebecca Lenkiewicz.
Bleecker Street is planning a September 21 release.
Watch the trailer above.