A new, untitled film about Marilyn Monroe is in the works and, according to Variety, the project will explore the late actress’s Latine roots. Monroe’s mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, was born in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1902.
Representatives from the studios behind the new film, BTF Media and Loz Dos Studios, said they will offer a look at one of Monroe’s last trips to Mexico based on details they obtained from FBI documents.
“For such a well-known figure, it must have been incredibly difficult for Marilyn to keep such a secret,” said BTF Media co-founder Francisco Cordero. “It’s an honor to shine a light on her as a Latina becoming comfortable with her roots.”
Screenwriter Alexa Polar added: “The Latinx community has so many vibrant stories to share, and this film will bring an underrepresented point of view to Marilyn’s iconic story.”
Casting for the film is now underway with a production date said to be sometime this fall in Mexico.
Another Monroe biopic, Blonde, which is scheduled to be released by Netflix this year, stars Cuban actress Ana de Armas (Deep Water) as the iconic star. This year, directed by Andrew Dominik (Killing Them Softly), Blonde has become one of the most talked-about titles because of its NC-17 rating.
Dominik said he was “surprised” when the film was hit with the rating but ultimately decided that they would not re-edit the project to make it less sexual.
“I thought we’d colored inside the lines,” Dominik said. “It’s not like depictions of happy sexuality. It’s depictions of situations that are ambiguous. And Americans are really strange when it comes to sexual behavior, don’t you think? I don’t know why. They make more porn than anyone else in the world.”
Dominik added: “Blonde is a demanding movie. If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the f—ing audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.”