The 47th Toronto International Film Festival has selected the Mary Harron directed movie Dalíland as the closing night movie, which stars Ben Kingsley as the older Salvador Dalí and Ezra Miller as the younger Dalí . However, the TIFF press release left Miller’s name off the cast credits.
It’s been public knowledge that Miller is in the film, The Flash star recently charged with burglary by the Vermont State Police in addition to several run-ins with the law this year. Deadline learned this morning that Miller was not cut out of Dalíland.
In a 2021 Cannes Market interview with Deadline, Harron told us, “We started looking at Dali in the 1970s, the older Dali, with flashbacks to the younger Dali [played by Ezra Miller], which are rendered like an old movie. That format really excited me. Ezra had like three days between finishing Fantastic Beasts and starting The Flash, and insisted on coming and doing our film. The story is all played out through this kind of Nick Carraway figure [Christopher Briney], who comes into Dali’s life as an assistant and sees it all.”
Dalíland tells the story of the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between the genius Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the story is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show.
“We’re excited to premiere Mary Harron’s Dalíland as this year’s Closing Night film,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF in a statement. “We couldn’t be prouder that Harron is a Canadian who has taken her singular explorations of iconic eccentrics to the world stage. In portraying the wild relationship between Salvador Dalí and his partner, Gala, Harron continues to keep moviegoing interesting and engaging.”
The pic also stars Barbara Sukowa, Christopher Briney, Rupert Graves, Alexander Beyer, Andreja Pejic, Mark McKenna, Zachary Nachbar-Seckel, Avital Lvova, and Suki Waterhouse. Directed by Harron with a screenplay written by John C. Walsh. Produced by Edward R. Pressman of Pressman Film, David Sacks of
David O. Sacks Productions, Daniel Brunt, Chris Curling of Zephyr Films, and Sam Pressman.
Dalíland will make its world premiere on Sept. 17 at Roy Thomson Hall.