Saoirse Ronan to star in adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’

Variety reported that Saoirse joined the project for “The Seagull” alongside Annette Bening.

Saoirse Ronan and Annette Bening are set to star in a movie adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” which has been added to the Cannes sales slate of Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur’s K5 Intl.

The film will be directed by Michael Mayer, who won a Tony in 2007 for “Spring Awakening” and was nominated for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” last year. It has been adapted by playwright Stephen Karam, who wrote Pulitzer Prize finalist “Sons of the Prophet.” The producers are Leslie Urdang (“Rabbit Hole”), actor-producer Tom Hulce (“Amadeus”) and Bob Salerno (“21 Grams,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin”).

Bening, who has been nominated for four Oscars, most recently appeared alongside Al Pacino in “Danny Collins.” Ronan’s latest credits include “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and Sundance player “Brooklyn,” which Fox Searchlight picked up for the U.S.

Also in “The Seagull” are Corey Stoll, who was Golden Globe nominated for “House of Cards,” and newcomer Billy Howle, who was a standout in Richard Eyre’s Olivier Award-winning production of “Ghosts.” Costumer designer is Ann Roth, and production designer is Jane Musky, with Matthew Lloyd taking on d.p. duties. The film is shooting in upstate New York this summer.

WME and CAA, which helped package the film, are also handling domestic rights.