Mother Mary from A24 to star Michaela Coel and Anne Hathaway

In an announcement made by Deadline on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023, it was revealed that Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) and Anne Hathaway (Eileen, Mother’s Instinct) will co-star in the A24 movie Mother Mary. Written and directed by David Lowery (The Green Knight), Mother Mary is described as “an epic pop melodrama” which will follow Hathaway’s musician and her relationship with Coel’s “iconic fashion designer.”

The movie will feature original songs, written and produced by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX, as well as an original score by Daniel Hart. This will be the third time Lowery has collaborated with A24, after A Ghost Story and the critically acclaimed Green Knight. Lowery’s recent projects include Peter Pan & Wendy, scheduled for release on Disney+ on April 28th, 2023.

Mother Mary is co-financed by A24 and Topic Studios. The movie will be produced by Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston, alongside Homebird Prouductions’ Jeanie Igoe and augenschein Filmproduktion’s Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, and Jonathan Saubach. It is scheduled to be filmed in Germany, and will have funding from Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the DFFF.

Related: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Actors We Want to See in the Series

Michaela Coel Is Making Waves in Hollywood

Coel has received plenty of award recognition for I May Destroy You. She was the first Black woman to be recognized with a win for Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology series for the title.

Recently, Coel appeared in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever as Aneka, a member of the Dora Milaje. This character plays a significant role in the 2016 Marvel Comics run of Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze, et al.

In fact, Aneka is so significant she was one of the characters to co-headline a spin-off of that series, 2017’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda by Roxane Gay, Alitha E. Martinez, Afua Richardson, et al. This spin-off story explored the foundations of the romantic relationship between Aneka and Ayo (the latter played by Flornce Kasumba onscreen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). The comic was awarded an Eisner for Best Limited Series and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book.

Regrettably, Aneka’s role in the MCU’s Black Panther sequel was significantly reduced from her part in the comics, and Coel was afforded comparatively little screen time. As disappointing as this development might have been, Coel’s co-starring role in Mother Mary implies a character who will be more fully explained on film.