Jared Leto will star as Karl Lagerfeld, the iconic fashion designer, in a new biopic.  Lagerfeld, whose career spanned more than 50 years, died in Feb. 2019, and is best known for his role as artistic director of Chanel.  The project has been endorsed by the Karl Lagerfeld fashion house.

Leto will also produce the film, along with Emma Ludbrook, through their production vehicle, Paradox. The project is still in early development, and a filmmaker is not yet attached to direct.  Also serving as executive producers on the film are three of Lagerfeld’s long-time allies:  Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of the Karl Lagerfeld house since 2011; Caroline Lebar, SVP of image and communications at Karl Lagerfeld, and Sébastien Jondeau, who was Lagerfeld’s personal assistant and bodyguard.

Leto said in a statement to Women’s Wear Daily that the movie will likely explore the designer’s “multitude of relationships.”  Said Leto: “Karl had a career that spanned 50-plus years so both personally and professionally he was close to a number of people. I can say we are going to home in on key relationships that convey different parts of his life.  Karl has always been an inspiration to me.”  The actor also described Lagerfeld as a “true polymath, an artist, an innovator, a leader and, most importantly, a kind man. 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.”

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