While we await word about the fate of “Riviera,” series star Julia Stiles is branching out. She’s set to make her feature directorial debut with “Wish You Were Here,” Phiphen Pictures’ adaptation of Renee Carlino’s best-selling book. A press release announced the news.
“Wish You Were Here” follows Charlotte, “a woman who finds herself in a rut, searching for a spark that seems just out of reach. After she has a whirlwind night of romance and imagining a future with a man named Adam, he ghosts her. When Charlotte finally discovers that Adam is terminally ill, she helps him spend his last days living life to the fullest,” the pic’s synopsis details.
“I’ve been looking for the right story to direct as a feature for a while and have finally found it with Renée Carlino’s ‘Wish You Were Here,’” said Stiles. “This story is a timeless look at true love that also feels contemporary and very specific to the times we’re living in right now.”
“The God Committee,” Stiles’ latest film, just premiered at Tribeca. The medical thriller about an organ transplant committee tasked with deciding which of three patients deserves a life-saving heart transplant hits select theaters and on demand July 2.
Stiles stars as Georgina in Sky Atlantic’s “Riviera,” a soapy drama about an American art curator whose life takes an unexpected turn when her billionaire husband dies in a yacht accident. The show’s third season aired in 2020. So far, there’s been no news about whether or not it will return for Season 4. “Hustlers,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” the “Bourne” franchise, “Save the Last Dance,” and “10 Things I Hate About You” are among her other on-screen credits.
Stiles, who previously directed episodes of “Paloma” and 2007 short “Raving,” spoke about her desire to direct a feature with Indiewire back in 2019. “I’ve been on a lot of film sets so the fear factor is gone,” she explained. “It’s just a question of, what story I want to invest that much time in.” She added, “It’s a lot of work and responsibility in a way that is maybe more daunting than being an actress.”
