Aftersun director Charlotte Wells to direct a biopic about Debbie Harry.

      After not only directing the standout debut of 2022 but also the best film of that year with the emotionally resonant and intricately structured Aftersun, there has been much anticipation regarding Charlotte Wells' next project. It appears she is now venturing into the popular realm of musician biopics, likely with her own distinctive approach.

      In an interview with the Sunday Times after her 80th birthday, Debbie Harry, the frontwoman of Blondie, disclosed that two films about her life and career are currently in the works: a documentary and a biopic, the latter of which will be directed by Wells. Harry, whose iconic career spans six decades, also shared a casting idea, stating, “If it were somebody like Florence Pugh, I would be in heaven. I just think she’s a great actor and she could do anything.”

      While there’s a wealth of recent and upcoming biopics featuring male artists—ranging from Freddie Mercury to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson—it has taken longer for a female-led biopic to emerge within this trend. However, films about Madonna and Joni Mitchell are on the way. As there are currently no additional details regarding Wells' involvement in the project, it’s uncertain when it will materialize, but it is encouraging to know she is working on another film. It will be interesting to see if Wells chooses to incorporate one of Harry's most memorable career moments.

      I described Aftersun as the best film of 2022, noting, “With an emotional intensity that delves into the inexplicable, Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun presents a well-crafted father-daughter narrative that reaches profound levels of pain in its concluding scenes. It is almost unbelievable that this is a directorial debut; Wells combines the influences of Denis and Akerman into something refreshingly original, capturing moments of deep beauty and significant heartache in a story that encompasses both coming of age and life's regrets. This film deeply understands how the inability to articulate feelings in the moment can, after years of reflection, lead to a need to scream those feelings into the void.”

      Watch an in-depth interview with Wells discussing the creation of her debut.