Michael Radford, best known for his work on the Italian-language hit “Il Postino” in the late ’90s, has signed on to direct “Castro’s Daughter.” Though Radford has been chasing that success with middling results over the last 15 years — please see “Flawless” or “The Merchant of Venice” for evidence — the pedigree behind his next effort shows promise with Bobby Moresco (Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Crash“) and Cuban playwright Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prizer-winning author of “Anna in the Tropics“) penning the script.
‘Daughter’ will tell the story of Alina Fernandez, Fidel Castro’s daughter, who escaped Cuba as a Spanish tourist and went on to write her biography, “Castro’s Daughter: An Exile’s Memory of Cuba,” upon which the screenplay will be based. Mankind Entertainment, the team behind Lee Daniels‘ gestating adaptation of Cruz’s play “Anna in the Tropics,” will produce with John Torres Martinez and Joe Lamy overseeing decisions.
We haven’t heard much from Radford since “Flawless” four years ago, but it’s not been for lack of trying. What was supposed to be his Spanish-language debut, “La Mula” was stalled in post-production last year when he was locked out of the editing suite thanks to a bizarre battle between various financiers and producers. A cut was apparently supposed to be completed last year — without Radford’s involvement — but whether or not that has happened remains unclear.
Radford needs a comeback, and with Tom Hooper’s success with “The King’s Speech” last year, studios are looking for classical directors to take on historical, worldly pieces much like this one. Whether or not Radford can turn this into a great film remains to seen. Most likely the film will hinge on the casting of Fernandez, and this project screams Catalina Sandino Morena‘s name (and we’re sure Penelope Cruz will be thrown in there as well). Hopefully this one will find Radford on the rebound. Filming is slated to take place in Puerto Rico. [Variety]
