Kit Harington is used to dramatic onscreen deaths — but this time he’s playing a different John.
Harington will lead the first English-language film from Xavier Dolan — a native son of the Cannes Film Festival — in the upcoming mystery drama “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.”
Little details were known about the project, except that “Game of Thrones” star Harrington would play an actor grappling with a public disgrace that impacts the lives of those who surround him. The ensemble includes Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Thandie Newton, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Michael Gambon and Ben Schnetzer.
But in a new CNN Style piece, Dolan opened up about the script. “It’s a private analysis of the everyday life of a young man striving to be great, to be remembered as a great actor,” the French Canadian filmmaker said. “The character dies and the movie opens on every character, every protagonist in the story, finding out about the death of John F. Donovan.”
Dolan is something of a prodigy with a robust body of work — including “Mommy,” “It’s Only the End of the World,” “Tom at the Farm” and “Laurence Anyways” — at the age of 27. He’s also a busy actor.
“It’s new, working with someone who is my generation. my age,” Harington says in the clip. “Someone who is 27 is inevitably bringing an energy to set, to a project.”
“Donovan” will be distributed by Entertainment One. It does not currently have a U.S. release date.