By Variety | Created at 2026-08-11 14:28:20 | Updated at 2026-08-11 14:40:31
40 minutes ago
Fast-rising star Jessica Reynolds (“Kneecap,” “A Woman of Substance”) and Oscar-nominated screen icon Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Under the Sand”) are teaming up for Irish psychological drama “Maya Butterfly,” set in the world of opera and described as “Tár” meets “Sound of Metal.”
The project, which comes from Hail Mary Pictures and has been acquired by Wildcard for U.K and Irish distribution rights, marks the directorial feature debut of award-winning Irish opera director Edwina Casey. Principal photography is now underway, with filming to take place on location in the National Opera House in Wexford and Belfast.
“Maya Butterfly” tells the story of a rising soprano who is secretly losing her hearing and must fight to survive the opening week of a radical opera production, until the truth threatens to destroy both her career and her identity.
“I am honoured to be realising this film with two immensely talented artists: Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling,” said Casey, a former Bingham Ray New Talent Award winner whose work spans international opera, film and commercial directing. “Told in the first-person perspective, ‘Maya Butterfly will be a sensory experience of one singer’s destructive process during the most important week of her career. Through its combination of musical theatrics and character-led storytelling, it will be a testament to my love of modern, inclusive, cinema and I am sincerely grateful to Screen Ireland for the continued support.”
The film is produced by Conor Barry (“The End”) and Richard Bolger (“Father Mother Sister Brother”) for Hail Mary Pictures, with funding from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Yellowmoon. Patrick O’Neill (Wildcard), Paul Kennedy (Village Films) and Bernard Michaux (SAMSA Film) also serve as producers. Executive producers are Atilla Salih Yücer, Ronan Flynn, Gillian Cooper and Greg Martin.
“We are thrilled to be working with Edwina on ‘Maya Butterfly,'” said O’Neil. “It’s an incredible story, and set to be an ambitious, thrilling, and emotional film made for the big screen. It’s always exciting to work on a unique film, something audiences have not seen before, and We cannot wait to bring the film to cinemas next year.”
Behind the camera, the creative team includes production designer Ruta Kiskyte (“Sing Sing”), director of photography Piers McGrail (“Saipan”), costume designer Saffron Cullane (“Censor”), casting director Áine O’Sullivan (“Blue Moon”) and line producer Michael Donnelly V (“Dublin Oldschool”).
“Maya Butterfly” was selected for the Torino Film Lab and the Venice Gap-Financing Market, and was developed with the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, including the Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Luxembourg Film Fund Co-Development Fund for Female and Non-Binary Filmmakers.
