Writer/director Damien Chazelle has already enjoyed festival success with his indie pic Whiplash. He’s looking to follow that up with another tale of talented young folk struggling against the odds and wants Miles Teller and Emma Watson to star in** La La Land.
The film follows two dreamers looking to find fame in Los Angeles, who meet and discover a love connection. There’s aspiring actress Mia (Watson, Chazelle hopes), who is lonely and trying to fit in to a confusing new city, and cocky, charismatic jazz pianist Sebastian (Teller), who learns that juggling a relationship and art in the unforgiving City of Angels is no easy task.
Music will also play a big part of the movie, with Chazelle’s director’s statement describing his intent: ”I’d like to make a contemporary musical about LA, starting with the LA we know but slowly building to a vision of the city as romantic metropolis–one that is actually worthy of the dreams it inspires. I'd like to make a musical about the way LA's peculiar rhythms can push its residents to the edge of their emotions–be they hope, desperation or love.”
While that bare synopsis sounds a bit **Rock Of Ages ** to us, we're guessing there will be significantly fewer mullets in this effort.
Teller, of course, was the lead in Whiplash, so he’s the more likely of the two to sign on given the reaction to his performance and his easy working relationship with Chazelle. Watson might be a tougher sell, but we’re guessing that Chazelle’s first film will act as a healthy calling card.
Acting-wise, Teller will next be seen in Two Night Stand and Divergent sequel Insurgent. He’s been shooting The Fantastic Four more recently, as the new Reed Richards. Watson was last seen in Noah and is shooting psychological thriller Regression. Whiplash will be out here sometime in 2014.