Sidney Sweeney will star in and produce the film version of “Customs of the Country.”
Josie Rourke (“Mary Queen of Scots”) is directing and writing this adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic novel. Sweeney plays Undine Spragg, an ambitious Midwestern woman trying to climb the social ladder in turn-of-the-century New York. As stated in the official press release, Undine Spragg “arms beauty, boldness/hustle, and pure willpower and unwavering ambition to take on entrenched elites, fearlessly seeking controversy until love and destiny align.”
According to a press release, casting director Nina Gold is building an ensemble around Sweeney. Principal photography is expected to begin soon.
Rourke described Undine Spragg as “the original dangerous woman” and felt that Sweeney’s casting was perfect, adding that “it’s as if Wharton had sat down and written her role a century ago.”
“Edith Wharton’s characters have forever captivated, seduced and enraged readers. ‘The Custom of the Country’ is Wharton’s great American novel, and Undine Spragg swept across America and Europe at top speed during a time of enormous economic and social change,” Rourke said in a statement. “This book feels modern. When I was writing this adaptation, Sidney Sweeney was living in my head as this iconic character. It’s as if Wharton had sat down and written her role a century ago.”
Film director Sofia Coppola had plans to turn Wharton’s novel into a miniseries starring Florence Pugh in 2020, but the Apple-set project never materialized.
Monumental Pictures and StudioCanal’s Charles Finch, Sweeney and Alison Owen will produce. StudioCanal will fully finance “Custom of the Country” and will release the film theatrically in all territories (UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Benelux), as well as begin global sales on EFM.
“I’ve been working for many years to bring ‘Customs of the Country’ to the screen,” Finch said. “We are thrilled with Josie’s adaptation and the power, passion and fun that Sydney brings to the role.”
The project reunites Sweeney with StudioCanal, which released his latest box office hit “The Housemaid” in Australia and New Zealand. Lionsgate is backing the film adaptation of Freda McFadden’s hit thriller novel, which has grossed a whopping $250 million worldwide to date.
“We are thrilled to be involved in bringing ‘Custom of the Country’ to the big screen, guided by Josie Rourke’s vision to bring Edith Wharton’s keen and timeless observations into a new cinematic era,” said Anna Marsh, CEO of StudioCanal. “I am delighted to be collaborating once again with the extremely talented Sydney Sweeney in the role of the formidable Undine Spragg.”
