The “Moonsong” cast has grown significantly, with Josh Hartnett, Emma Thompson, Sally Hawkins, Danny Huston, Robert Aramayo and Chloe Pirrie all joining writer-director Rebecca Miller’s “Moonsong: A Life in Seven Verses,” according to Deadline. The new additions round out an ensemble already led by Elle Fanning and Julianne Moore.
Miller wrote and will direct the film, which draws on Leonard S. Marcus’ biography “Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon.” Fanning plays Brown, the author behind “Goodnight Moon” and “The Runaway Bunny,” while Moore has been cast as poet Michael Strange, one of Brown’s real-life romantic partners.
The roles and casting details
Hartnett plays “Big Bill” Gaston, a socialite and Brown’s other major love interest in the story. Thompson, Hawkins, Huston, Aramayo and Pirrie join as part of the ensemble, though their specific characters have not been announced.
The “Moonsong” cast now spans several generations of acclaimed performers. Fanning leads alongside Oscar winners Moore and Thompson and Oscar nominee Hawkins, with Hartnett, Huston, Aramayo and Pirrie filling out the supporting roles.
The project so far
“Moonsong” marks Miller’s ninth feature as director. Set in 1930s New York, her screenplay follows Brown as she discovers her gift for children’s stories and helps pioneer a sensory approach to writing for young readers. Brown published more than 100 titles during her career, and Deadline reports her books have gone on to sell over 300 million copies in more than 25 languages.
Miller described her subject in a statement to Deadline, calling Brown “one of the most fascinating characters I have ever encountered.” She added, “She never lost her child-like view of the world, yet also became a phenomenon within her business, publishing over a hundred books, including ‘Goodnight Moon,’ ‘Little Fur Family,’ ‘The Runaway Bunny,’ books which have become a part of the fabric of our culture.”
Miller also explained why Brown’s story feels timely, and what she believes Fanning will bring to it: “At once innocent and feral, often feeling out of place in the human world, yet an arch-communicator, sexually liberated yet prey to complex and painful love affairs, the sole guardian of her own creative flame — Margaret feels profoundly modern to me, and I believe, played by Elle Fanning, she will be a totem for young people who are looking for a way to live without compromising the multiplicity of their true selves.”
What’s next
“Moonsong” is set to begin shooting in May 2027. The Veterans is launching international sales for the film at the American Film Market, and no release date or U.S. distributor has been announced.
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