Oh, what a delightful bit of news to warm my heart this chilly winter eve! The Huston siblings, none other than the illustrious Anjelica and Danny, are teaming up once more for a magical holiday tale that’s sure to enchant us all. “The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana” – a captivating blend of animation and live-action, set against the backdrop of Italian folklore and universal themes that resonate with every heart.
It’s shaping up to be a Huston family Christmas.
The siblings and esteemed figures in the movie industry, Anjelica and Danny Huston, are collaborating on an upcoming production titled “The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana“. This unique project is a blend of animation and live-action, currently being filmed in Los Angeles and Ontario, Canada.
HighballTV has finalized the specifics of the movie, a project jointly written by David James Brock and Melissa D’Agostino, inspired by ideas they developed with Matt Campagna. This duo will also be directing the film, as D’Agostino often does in creative collaborations. Johnathan Sharp is overseeing production.
The storyline revolves around an unusual court proceeding that ensues when a group of kids from a small Italian hamlet abduct their local Christmas sorceress, portrayed by Huston, and bring her to trial in a bid to halt her yearly verdict over them. This magical tale incorporates witchcraft, folklore from Italy, and addresses themes that resonate universally, such as mourning, unity within communities, affection, family ties. Danny assumes the role of Befano opposite Anjelica’s Befana in this production.
Additionally joining the cast are Jesse Gervasi, Maya Misaljevic, Luca Doulgeris, Mia Swaminathan, Paolo Mancini, Tarah Consoli, Juan Chioran, Phil Luzi, and D’Agostino. The movie “The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana” is HighballTV’s first foray into animated features, based in Canada. Notably, the film will be accompanied by an original soundtrack written by Brock, D’Agostino, and Rebecca Everett.
The upcoming project brings together the siblings again, as they’ve collaborated on several films in Hollywood previously. In an exclusive video obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the Hustons discuss their reasons for joining this project and how they discovered the legend of Befana, a figure deeply rooted in Italian folklore that is widely recognized.
Anjelica shared that she discovered some details about La Befana while filming ‘The Life Aquatic’ in Rome with Wes Anderson. They celebrate La Befana during a wintertime festival before Christmas, and it features numerous puppets as well as women riding broomsticks on which La Befana is also seen flying. Danny, who grew up in Rome, added that Befana was quite familiar to him as a child. In a way, she competed with Santa Claus or Father Christmas. Italy places more emphasis on Easter than Christmas, so the image of brooms and hooded Befana figures are particularly iconic.
Angelica referred to her as a “charming yet dreadful witch,” which also prompted her agreement. She expressed enjoyment in portraying witches, stating it was an easy decision given the opportunity. It seemed enjoyable, and she felt it was the right moment for such a role. Previously, Angelica starred as the lead in Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 film “The Witches.” The actress elaborated that she enjoys playing evil witches. She mentioned her role as Morticia Addams, a beloved witch, and her character as the grand high witch in “The Witches” for Nicol Roeg. To summarize, she had one of her favorite acting experiences with him because he encouraged her to be wicked, and there was something rebellious about the character.
Danny expressed that it was a significant milestone in his professional journey to share the screen with his sister in this particular part. Earlier, they had collaborated on the 1988 film “Mr. North,” an adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s novel, where Danny served as the director and Anjelica starred opposite Anthony Edwards, Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall, and Harry Dean Stanton. More recently, they joined forces for the 2006 television series “Covert One: The Hades Factor,” alongside Stephen Dorff, Mira Sorvino, and Blair Underwood. “I’m thrilled to have this chance once more,” Danny noted.
Danny has just finished a bustling period where he played leading roles in “The Crow”, “Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” and “The Dead Don’t Hurt” starring Viggo Mortensen. Next up, he will be seen in the reboot of “The Naked Gun” alongside Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kevin Durand. He is represented by United Talent Agency (UTA), Untitled Entertainment, his own UTA, law firm Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light, and Julian Belfrage Associates in London.
Anjelica is represented by WME and Christian Hodell at Hamilton Hodell in the U.K. Her upcoming roles include a part in the “John Wick” spin-off film titled “Ballerina,” alongside Ana de Armas, as well as a role in the BBC and BritBox limited series “Towards Zero.” This series is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, and she will star alongside Matthew Rhys, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ella Lily Hyland, and Mimi Keene.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-10-31 23:24