Rachel Weisz to Star in ‘Vladimir’

Weisz will play a woman who becomes obsessed with her new work colleague, and looks to turn fantasies into reality… with dark consequences.

Rachel Weisz in 'The Mummy.' Photo: Universal Pictures.

Preview:

Rachel Weisz will star in new limited series ‘Vladimir.’
The adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s 2022 novel is based at Netflix.
Kate Robin is running the show.

Limited series based on novels have become big business in the streaming era, with the likes of HBO, Hulu and particularly Netflix getting in on the action.

The latest to be announced by the latter is an adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s 2022 novel ‘Vladimir,’ which has now landed Rachel Weisz to star and executive produce.

And Jonas will also be involved –– she’ll serve as creator and will have a writing gig on the eventual series, alongside Kate Robin, who will run the show. Robin is a veteran of shows such as ‘Dead to Me’ on Netflix as well as Showtime’s ‘The Affair’ and Prime Video’s ‘One Mississippi.’

We’re promised a blend of dark comedy and sexy fun times –– albeit with some serious consequences.

What’s the story of ‘Vladimir’

Rachel Weisz in 'The Mummy.' Photo: Universal Pictures.

If you were looking for details on the plot of this one, it’s official logline time!

“As a beloved English professor faces a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students — she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague. Full of sexy secrets, dark humor and complex characters, ‘Vladimir’ is about what happens when a woman goes hell-bent to turn her fantasies into reality.”

Behind the scenes and beyond Jonas and Robin, the series boasts quite the team, with ‘Catastrophe’ and ‘Bad Sisters’ creator Sharon Horgan as an executive producer alongside Stacy Greenberg and Kira Carstensen of her Merman production company. Jason Winer and Jon Radler are also producers on behalf of Small Dog Picture Company, while 20th Television will make the series itself.

‘Vladimir’: The Studio and Producers Talk

Netflix logo. Photo: Netflix.

Here’s what Tracey Pakosta, vice president of comedy series at Netflix had to say about the new series:

“With Kate Robin’s expertise in crafting layered, darkly comedic female stories, a script that deftly examines the complexity of attraction and moral ambiguities, and the incomparable Rachel Weisz leading the cast, this project is a powerhouse collaboration of talented women. We can’t wait for our fans to be as obsessed with ‘Vladimir’ as we are.”

And this is what Horgan commented:

“I fell in love with Julia’s writing from the very first paragraph. I feel very lucky and incredibly excited for Merman to bring ‘Vladimir’ to life alongside Small Dog. Getting to partner with Netflix and have Rachel attached is a thrill and testament to the brilliance of the scripts.”

Where else can we see Rachel Weisz?

Rachel Weisz in 'Dead Ringers.' Credit: Niko Tavernise/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

Weisz, of course, is no stranger to screens big and small, having appeared in movies such as 1999’s ‘The Mummy’ (and its sequel, ‘The Mummy Returns’) ‘The Favourite,’ ‘The Lovely Bones,’ ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ ‘About a Boy’ and more recently, Marvel’s ‘Black Widow,’ where she played Melina.

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She reprised the Marvel role (at least her voice) for animated series ‘What If…?’ and was one of the driving forces behind 2023 Prime Video thriller series ‘Dead Ringers,’ itself an adaptation of the book that inspired the eponymous 1988 David Cronenberg movie.

Next up for Weisz is Thomas Alfredson’s drama ‘Séance on a Wet Afternoon,’ which is in pre-production.