Alfred Molina to Make Directorial Debut with “Lilian”

Alfred Molina is going behind the lens…

The 66-year-old half-Spanish Golden Globe– and Emmy-nominated actor has been set to make his feature directorial debut on Lilian, an adaptation of the Jill Gascoine novel. 

Alfred Molina

The film focuses on Jessica, who survives a battle with cancer, leaves her husband and grown children in England to visit a friend in the United States, in hopes of rediscovering the joy of life. Once there, she unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with another woman.

Amy Lowe Starbin is writing the script. The indie film is being backed by Cannonball Productions.

The plan is to begin production in Los Angeles in the fall.

While Molina has been a stalwart actor in Boogie Nights to FeudFrida and many other productions, he has always kept an eye on the director’s chair, hoping he might one day occupy it.

“I’ve always known that I eventually wanted to direct,” he said. “When I was young I was moved by the films of Carol Reed—that’s what started this journey in fact—that was the first time I realized there was a guiding hand behind the camera. The idea of being that guiding hand has always interested me. When I read the novel Lilian years ago it touched me deeply—I started seeing the film and feeling the characters’ journeys—and like that I knew that I wanted to direct this film. The stories that I love are those that begin quietly, perhaps even predictably, and then through some action or motive they reveal a crack, a fissure, through which something escapes but also through which we can enter.

Lilian is such a beautiful story about a woman getting on in years who finds the spark of love and passion again after losing hope and a clear idea of her purpose,” he said. “I’m going to focus all of my energy and passion into bringing this story to life with a wonderful group of artists that I know and trust.”

Molina to Star in the Judy Wood Biopic “Saint Judy”

Alfred Molina has found a saintly project…

The 63-year-old half-Spanish actor has signed on to star in Saint Judythe biopic about Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood who argued a landmark case that changed the asylum laws for women coming into the U.S.

Alfred Molina

Sean Hanish is directing, and the project is set to go before the cameras on May 10.

The story follows Wood, a single mother in her mid-30s who moved to Los Angeles and committed herself to immigration law, particularly asylum cases. She entered into law after having a vision about it. She would end up representing an Afghani immigrant woman who had been persecuted for opening up a school for girls in her home country.

Wood fought a tenacious battle in and out of court against established law, and the case ended up before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The result of many years of fighting for the schoolteacher resulted in Wood single-handedly changing the law of asylum nationwide, allowing women to be designated a protected class. She not only saved the life of her client but thousands of other female refugees who would have been sent back to their home countries where they faced certain death.

Helmer Hanish and Cannonball ProductionsJaconi-Biery are producing Saint Judy with Molina, who was also in their last production Sister Cities.

Molina is currently starring in a great showcase role as director Robert Aldrich on FX’s ratings giant Feud: Bette and JoanHe plays opposite Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis, Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford, Judy Davis as Hedda Hopper and Stanley Tucci as Jack Warner for series creator Ryan Murphy.