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Jared Leto to co-produce and star in Karl Lagerfeld biopic

The actor and musician will work on the film about the German designer who died in 2019

Megan Graye
Thursday 06 October 2022 06:21 EDT
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Chanel honours Karl Lagerfeld at Paris Fashion Week

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Jared Leto is going to co-produce and star in a new biopic on Karl Lagerfeld.

The American actor and musician will produce the film alongside his partner Emma Ludbrook, via their production company Paradox. The pair will co -produce with the designer’s House of Karl Lagerfeld.

Lagerfeld was a prolific German fashion designer who died in February 2019, aged 85. Many of his close friends and colleagues will also work on the production: Pier Paolo Righi, Caroline Lebar, and Sébastien Jondeau who all worked with Lagerfeld for over 10 years will all help to retell his story.

“Karl has always been an inspiration to me,” said Leto on his relationship with the designer. “He was a true polymath, an artist, an innovator, a leader and, most importantly, a kind man.”

Discussing the forthcoming biopic he said: “When we came together with the Karl Lagerfeld team, we immediately shared a creative vision of doing a respectful ode to Karl while pushing the artistic boundaries of what a biopic can be.”

“I’m so grateful to Karo, Pier and Seb for allowing us to go on this journey together,” he added.

Righi, who is the current CEO of the brand, said: “Over the years, we have been approached by several Hollywood producers who suggested to partner on a movie about Karl’s iconic life,”

“It has been only since we met Jared and Emma that we felt truly confident about the story being told in the artistic way Karl would have loved to see,” he added of Leto’s and Ludbrooks’ involvement in the film.

“Throughout our conversations, we have created an equally trustful and inspiring creative relationship that will allow us to work together very fluidly on this beautiful project.”

Details of the biopic’s storyline are yet to be revealed but the film is said to cover significant relationships in the designer’s life.

Leto recently starred in the biographical crime drama House Of Gucci, which The Independent gave four stars, calling it a “titillating, ridiculous and utterly engrossing soap opera”.

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