Rupert Everett is making his directorial debut with the Oscar Wilde biopic “The Happy Prince,” in which he will star alongside Colin Firth and Emily Watson.
Everett, who stars as Wilde, also penned the script for the film, described as a comedy with tragic undertones that tells the story of the Irish playwright’s final days as he observes his own failure with ironic distance and humor.
The cast also includes Tom Wilkinson and Edward Fox.
Everett, who starred in film adaptations of Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “An Ideal Husband,” has long championed the writer’s works on the stage and screen.
Set to shoot in summer 2013, “The Happy Prince” is a German-U.K.-Italian co-production by Cine Plus Filmproduktion and Bavaria Pictures with Robert Fox and Bavaria Media Italia.
Munich-based Beta Cinema is handling world sales and has started pre-selling the pic at Cannes.
Concorde Filmverleih will release the film in Germany.
