Cate Blanchett & Mia Wasikowska Will Play Lovers

News from Cannes is that the film's script has been adapted by Phyllis Nagy (who previously wrote and directed the Annette Bening-starring Mrs. Harris television movie) and the film is set to start shooting in February in London and New York. (Boy A) will direct a take on Patricia Highsmith's book The Price of Salt (which she wrote under the pseudonym Claire Morgan), about a 1950s lesbian romance, which is now to be titled Carol. Oh, but the big news: the film will star Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska as the lovers, Therese and Carol. That's right: Cate & Mia will have a May-December (or some seasonal disparity) romance.

Highsmith is most well-known for Strangers on a Train--which was has been adapted over a dozen times, most notably by Hitchcock--as well as The Talented Mr. Ripley. But Highsmith's other abundantly important novel is of prime importance in LGBT literature because of its plot. According to the press release for the film, "Carol is a love story about pursuit, betrayal and passion that follows the burgeoning relationship between two very different women in 1950s New York. One, a girl in her twenties working in a department store who dreams of a more fulfilling life, and the other, a wife trapped in a loveless, moneyed marriage desperate to break free but fearful of losing her daughter in the process." It also has a happy ending--which was extremely radical for the time.

Also, per the press release, the film's script is being adapted by Phyllis Nagy (who previously wrote and directed the Annette Bening-starring Mrs. Harris television movie), and it will start shooting in February in London and New York.

According to Collider, Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley at Number 9 Films, who will produce Carol, commented on the stellar cast and source material as follows:

"We are thrilled to be working with Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska, two of the most talented actors working today, in this striking adaptation of one of the twentieth century's most iconic writers, Patricia Highsmith. To be re-united with highly talented individuals, director John Crowley and writer Phyllis Nagy is a testament to the quality of the project. We are delighted to have such a gifted team on board."

Tessa Ross at co-financer/co-developer Film4 added: "Carol is a beautiful and heart-breaking story and it's a testament to the talents of Phyllis and John that we've attracted actresses of Cate and Mia's calibre to star at the heart of it. We are delighted to be working with Liz and Stephen at Number 9 to help put together what promises to be a truly wonderful film."