Cosmo Jarvis, star of the successful series of FX “Shōgun”, will play the role of the future Soviet leader Joseph Staline in “Young Stalin”. The Georgian-French Helmer Géla Babluani (“13 Tzameti”, “Money”) signed to lead the Thriller of the period financed by the access film of Len Blavatnik, which supported the “competition from Jonathan Glazer’s competition”.
Based on the acclaimed best-seller of Simon Sebag Montefiore, “Young Stalin” classifies the first days of the very Soviet man while he was a flying gangster in a bank in pre-revolutionary Russia. Babluani and Sebag Montefiore wrote the scenario of the film which is also supported by AI Film and Monte Rosso Prods.
In the context of the criminal ferment and the revolutionary ferment of Imperial Russia, the film explores the manufacture of the bloody dictator which would reshape the 20th century by terrorism, war and ideology – and the largest banking burglary in Russian history, according to the logline.
The director Géla Babluani said: “I have always been attracted by stories that live in the shadows, and there is no shadow longer than that of Stalin. It is not a portrait of power – it is a descent into the fire that forged it. With Cosmo, we have a main actor who understands the danger, charm and fractures of identity.”
The upgrade presents the package to international buyers in Cannes. The main photography should start in Tbilisi in July.
Sam Taylor of F&E (“Before the rain”) produced alongside Archil Gelovani of IFP (“April”), Vladimer Katcharava of 20 stages (“Girls of the Sun”) and Alexander Kushaev (“The Painted Bird”). Blavatnik is an executive production with Danny Cohen and Vince Holden. Rupert Lloyd, Gunda Bergman and Esko stop the producer team.
“Stalin’s first life as a banks thief is an extraordinary and largely unknown story, motivated by a revolutionary zeal and characterized by violence, betrayal and the thirst for power,” added Cohen.
Jarvis’ upcoming projects include Guy Ritchie’s next film, “Wife & Dog”, and he recently played in the thriller of A24 war in Iraq “Warfare”. It is recommended by UTA and the artist partnership. Babluani is managed by UBBA in Paris.
