Jared Leto will step into the shoes of the legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld who passed away in early 2019. Leto revealed the news in an exclusive interview with Women’s Wear Daily. According to the article, the biopic will be co-produced between the late fashion designer’s House of Karl Lagerfeld and Leto and Emma Ludbrook’s production company, Paradox.
Across his social media channels, the Oscar winner expressed admiration for Lagerfeld, “Karl has always been an inspiration to me. He was a true polymath, an artist, an innovator, a leader, and, most importantly, a kind man.”
Leto also thanked his partners on the Lagerfeld team, Caroline Lebar, Pier Paolo Righi, and Sébastien Jondeau. “When we came together with the Karl Lagerfeld team, we immediately shared a creative vision of doing a respectful ode to Karl while pushing the artistic boundaries of what a biopic can be. I’m so grateful to Karo, Pier, and Seb for allowing us to go on this journey together.”
For his part, Righi, CEO of Karl Lagerfeld, reciprocated by speaking about their shared creative vision, “It has been only since we met Jared and Emma that we felt truly confident about the story being told in the artistic way Karl would have loved to see,” according to the WWD article. He added, “Throughout our conversations we have created an equally trustful and inspiring creative relationship that will allow us to work together very fluidly on this beautiful project.”
Lagerfeld would probably have approved as he had responded to Leto, “Only you, darling, only you,” when the actor had told him that he wanted to play him in a movie one day upon meeting him for the first time per the WWD article.
Details on the storyline are still unknown, but the film will explore key relationships in Lagerfeld’s life, according to Deadline.
Lagerfeld was one of the most well-known creative directors in the fashion world, having led Chanel and Fendi before starting his own fashion house. He is credited with reviving Chanel and designing the world-renowned interlocking “CC” logo that represents the fashion house, according to GQ. His accomplishments and contributions will be celebrated at next year’s glamorous Met Gala, which will create an exhibition in his honor, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
The announcement of the biopic comes less than a year after Leto portrayed another fashion persona, Paolo Gucci, in Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci.” Leto took on the role of the frustrated designer and Gucci founder’s grandson alongside stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver.
