Olivia Wilde's 'Don't Worry, Darling' adds Gemma Chan and KiKi Layne

Classifying a film as one of the best of the year based solely on its casting announcement may be a bit premature, so we’ll take it down a notch and say that Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry, Darling is one of the most "highly anticipated" upcoming films. And it will likely be one of the best. The psychological thriller has just added Gemma Chan and KiKi Layne to a cast that already includes Harry Styles, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine and Wilde herself, who is pulling triple duty as director, producer and actor. See? Exciting!Not many details have been released about the film, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, we do know that it is set in “an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert and centers on a housewife who uncovers a disturbing truth about her seemingly perfect life.” Pugh will play Alice, the housewife and lead character in the film and Chan and Layne will play characters named Shelley and Margaret.No other details have been released about Chan or Layne’s roles, but we do know that Layne has been brought on to replace Dakota Johnson, who had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts. Styles was another late addition to the cast after Shia LaBeouf also exited the film due to scheduling. Don’t Worry, Darling is scheduled to begin filming later this month in Palm Springs and Los Angeles.

 

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Errrr mrrr grrrrrd .

A post shared by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde) on Oct 7, 2020 at 10:28pm PDT

Screenwriter Karen Silberman, who penned the highly underrated 2018 romcom Set It Up and 2019’s Isn’t It Romantic, has written the screenplay, which is based on a spec script by siblings Shane and Carey Van Dyke (yes, that Van Dyke family). Don’t Worry, Darling is a reunion for Silberman and Wilde who worked together on 2019’s breakout comedy Booksmart, which Silberman produced and Wilde directed. The coming-of-age friendship film marked Wilde’s directorial debut and earned a Golden Globe nomination for actor Beanie Feldstein, who starred opposite Kaitlyn Dever.Most recently, Chan has been spending her time in little low-key blockbuster films like 2018's Crazy Rich Asians where she played billionaire-with-a-heart-of-gold Astrid Leong and 2019's Captain Marvel where she starred as Minn-Erva. Chan is set to appear next as Sersi in the Chloé Zhao’s highly anticipated The Eternals, which has been delayed one year from its original release date to November 5, 2021.[video_embed id='2050116']RELATED: Dune, Bond, The Batman and more films delayed [/video_embed]As for Layne, the American actor stunned in her breakthrough role in the 2018 Barry Jenkins film If Beale Street Could Talk for which she won a Black Reel Award. Most recently, Layne starred opposite Charlize Theron in the hugely popular action film The Old Guard, which was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.

 

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???? Honestly, I had given up on believing that I would work on anything this year. Because after all the no’s and cancellations and postponements and just all around craziness of this year, I said forget it, I just won’t be on a set again until sometime in 2021. But I heard a whisper from God recently and a bit reluctantly I started praying again that I would get to work this year. I started fighting for the faith that I had had when I came into this year to be renewed. And as I started praying and fighting to believe again, along comes this project. That’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before (which is what I’m all about) and I know it’s gonna be a lot of fun. Just the thing I needed in this time. And just wow, to all these dope people I get to work with! So excited to be working with @oliviawilde @gemma_chan @harrystyles @florencepugh and #ChrisPine #DontWorryDarling #ThankyouGod And crazy enough, as I’m writing this I just got a No on a different project. Ain’t that something. But wow, the peace I have knowing that what’s meant for me will always find me and that an even greater Yes must be on the way, if I keep the faith. ??

A post shared by KiKi Layne (@kikilayne) on Oct 7, 2020 at 3:24pm PDT

Layne shared her thoughts on her latest casting on Instagram, saying she had given up hope on working again in 2020 after the pandemic shut down production on nearly every film and TV set. “I heard a whisper from God recently and a bit reluctantly I started praying again that I would get to work this year,” wrote Layne. “I started fighting for the faith that I had had when I came into this year to be renewed. And as I started praying and fighting to believe again, along comes this project. That’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before (which is what I’m all about) and I know it’s gonna be a lot of fun. Just the thing I needed in this time. And just wow, to all these dope people I get to work with!”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Raccoon wearing a dress eats a pear with his hands [/video_embed]