The new Marilyn Monroe biopic is likely to “offend everyone”, the movie’s director Andrew Dominik has claimed.
Blonde, starring Ana De Armas as the iconic actress, is set to be released later this year following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to Vulture ahead of the movie’s release, Dominik reflected upon the timing of the film’s release and how some of the topics in the film may hit a nerve with viewers.
The film is already rumoured to feature plenty of X-rated scenes and has been certified an NC-17 rating “for some sexual content”.
Dominik, who was surprised by the NC-17 rating, acknowledged during his interview there’s ambiguity about where the film stands on some themes.
“It’s an interesting time for Blonde to come out,” Dominik told the publication.
“If it had come out a few years ago, it would have come out right when Me Too hit and it would have been an expression of all that stuff.”
He added: “We’re in a time now, I think, where people are really uncertain about where any lines are. It’s a film that definitely has a morality about it. But it swims in very ambiguous waters because I don’t think it will be as cut-and-dried as people want to see it. There’s something in it to offend everyone.”
During his interview, Blonde’s director also revealed they had recreated a number of iconic images from Monroe’s life that viewers will recognise.
De Armas will be starring alongside Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale and Julianne Nicholson in the upcoming Netflix film.
No release date has been confirmed for the feature so far, however, it’s expected to be this autumn.
Speaking about her casting in the role to Vanity Fair in 2020, De Armas admitted she had always wanted to be cast for the character.
“Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly. You see that famous photo of her and she is smiling in the moment, but that’s just a slice of what she was really going through at the time,” she said.