Gillian Anderson and Rebecca Hall Set for Psychological Thriller The Portrait

Gillian Anderson and Rebecca Hall have been set to star in The Portrait, a psychological thriller, according to Deadline.

Anderson plays Valeria, an internationally acclaimed writer. Hall plays Isla, Valeria's wife, an artist who is commissioned to paint her portrait. The story turns on that commission and the closeness it creates between the two women.

Sara Colangelo wrote and will direct the film, which is based on the novel by Ilaria Bernardini. Colangelo won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 for The Kindergarten Teacher. Sundance, held in Utah, is one of the main showcases for independent films.

The producers are Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman Keren of Pie Films, working with Francesca Cualbu of The Apartment.

Whether the film will reach cinemas or streaming screens has not been announced. Sales are already moving, though. WME Independent represents the domestic rights, meaning rights in the United States and Canada, at the American Film Market, the Santa Monica deal-making event where buyers and sellers trade films before they are finished. Rocket Science handles international sales.

Production is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2027, which runs from January to March, and the film will shoot in the UK.