Years ago House of Cards star Robin Wright tried to develop a script for a 1990s love story set in an African refugee camp; however, she and writer/director Erin Dignam could never get it financed so, sadly, it fell to the wayside. Until now.
53-year old actor, director, and ex-husband of Wright, Sean Penn, has been asked to direct The Last Face which will star Javier Bardem and Penn’s almost-fiancée Charlize Theron.
“This is obviously a vindictive move against his ex-wife, for whom ‘The Last Face’ was a labor of love,” a source told Page Six.
The revamp of the project came about when Erin Dignam sold it to Matt Palmieri, who asked Penn to direct.
“I hope Theron knows she’s being played by Penn as a childish revenge tool against Robin Wright,” a commenter wrote on The Wrap.
Theron and Penn made their relationship public in January and since then have been seen together at Penn’s Help Haiti Home gala, during a holiday trip to Penn’s beachfront home in Hawaii, and on Valentine’s Day in Cabo San Lucas.
“They were inseparable,” an eyewitness said about the couple in Mexico. “They held hands everywhere they went.”
38-year old Theron has an adopted son, Jackson. Penn has two children with Wright, ages 18 and 23.
The Last Face takes place in Sudan and Liberia and tells the story of two doctors (Theron and Bardem) doing humanitarian work to try to save victims of tribal warfare. As if there weren’t enough conflict already, Bardem’s character is forced to choose between his love for Theron’s character and his dedication to his work.
Though possibly a punch to the heart, Wright shouldn’t worry too much about this project. She has plenty on her own plate, coming off a Golden Globe Awards win for Best Actress in a TV Series Drama and slated to star in the film Everest with Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, and Emily Watson.
Wright has also been dating Rampart co-star Ben Foster since 2012. They announced their engagement in January – around the same time Theron and Penn made their relationship official.
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