AceShowbiz - Ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, August 29, Netflix has made a splash by acquiring the U.S. rights to "Maria", a biopic starring Angelina Jolie as the renowned opera singer Maria Callas. The film reunites Netflix with director Pablo Larrain, who previously directed "El Conde" for the streaming giant.

"Maria" tells the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic life story of the world's greatest opera singer, reliving her experiences during her final days in 1970s Paris. Jolie is joined by an international cast including Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Valeria Golino. The screenplay was penned by Steven Knight, known for his work on "Spencer" and "Peaky Blinders".

Larrain expressed his excitement about partnering with Netflix again, calling it his most personal work to date. He described "Maria" as a creative imagining and psychological portrait of Callas, a woman who dedicated her life to performing for audiences but ultimately decided to find her own voice and identity.

Netflix Chairman of Film Dan Lin praised Larrain's exploration of iconic women through film, highlighting Jolie's exceptional performance as Callas. Andrea Scrosati of Fremantle also expressed delight that "Maria" has found a home at Netflix, giving credit to Glen and his FilmNation team for spearheading the sale.

The film, which was shot during last year's actors strike, was one of the most buzzed-about sales titles at both Venice and TIFF. It follows in the footsteps of Larrain's acclaimed trilogy of films about notable 20th-century women, which includes "Jackie" and "Spencer".

"Maria" will premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, with a Netflix release date to be announced.