In 1960 on May 19th, Laurence Olivier asked Vivien Leigh for a divorce.
Her announcement to the press heralded her devastation. Now in ‘Viv…‘, a new British feature film heading for production in October, tells her story. Executive produced by Mark Foligno (Moon, The King’s Speech), produced by Sarah Pemberton of Synergie16 and screenplay by Susie Lindeman. Post-production by LipSync London and International Co-Producers, Director and Cast to be announced.
Actress and screenwriter Susie Lindeman:
“I wanted to explore Vivien from the inside, to reveal how our interior experiences infuse our lives. Although she is forever famous for her double-Oscar-winning characters, the role of her life was as Lady Olivier, Larry’s wife. Their break-up offers such a unique take on a universal story of love and loss”.
Vivien Leigh was a double Oscar©-winning actress best known for Gone With The Wind (1939) where she played Scarlett O’Hara opposite Clark Gable and Blanche Dubois opposite Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). She was married to the Oscar©-winning actor Laurence Olivier (Hamlet, Rebecca, Sleuth) for 20 years from 1940-1960, becoming the world’s first celebrity couple. In 2018 she was voted Best of all the Best Actress winners in the history of the Oscars, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Executive Producer Mark Foligno:
“This powerful script I am confident will become an instant British film classic. It beautifully handles the line between Vivien Leigh’s mental turmoil in both the reality and fantasy surrounding the collapse of her marriage to Laurence Olivier”.
‘Viv…’, the screenplay, has been described by independent script reports as “Seductive, Brave, Powerful and Beautiful”. It is adapted from the stage play Letter To Larry by Donald Macdonald, internationally acclaimed as “Astonishing….Incarnated bewitchingly as if by magic….” by Le Nouvel Observateur and “An interpretation of genius” from Reg’arts, Paris.
