Carla Gugino Will Star In The Vivien Leigh Biopic

By Emily Richardson | Film | May 1, 2024 |

By Emily Richardson | Film | May 1, 2024 |

Variety reports that Carla Gugino has been cast as the great Vivien Leigh in the upcoming biopic, The Florist. The film, directed by Nick Sandow (aka Caputo in Orange Is the New Black), will follow the actress’ struggle with bipolar disorder as she prepares to star in John Gielgud’s Chekhov adaptation of “Ivanov” on Broadway. The 1966 production ended up being Vivien’s final play; she died of tuberculosis the following year at age 53. Screenwriter Jayce Bartok (The Cake Eaters) based the script on an old box of Vivien’s love letters.

52-year-old Carla (oooh, the exact same age as Vivien in 1966) tells Variety:

“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to excavate a woman as complex, contradictory, and compelling as Vivien. From the moment I read the script, I knew ‘The Florist’ was a journey I had to pursue.”

The titular florist refers to Joseph Penn, a WWII vet and blue-collar florist who meets Vivien while out on delivery. At the same time, the Gone with the Wind star is receiving regular electroconvulsive therapy at a local psychiatric hospital. The synopsis reads: “Amidst the backdrop of madness, Leigh and Penn become each other’s sources of truth, beauty, and love.” At the time,

Director Caputo Nick Sandow says:

“What drew me to the project was the script and how it brings together, for a fleeting moment, two human beings who seemingly couldn’t be more different. I was excited by taking these two discordant existences and making them touch, and seeing what that says about things like love, artistry, mental illness, and celebrity.”

Production will kick off at the end of the summer in Philadelphia.