EXCLUSIVE: Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps is set to play Oscar nominee Rooney Mara’s flame in Paris-set drama Quest For Love, which HanWay is selling at the Cannes market.

Written and to be directed by Antonia Campbell-Hughes (It Is in Us All), Mara will star as the lead Maris, a woman who “dances on the edge of subversion and violence”. She is described as “a deeply complex woman who explores her capacity to feel love through her relationship with her estranged ten-year-old son Maxy. However her nocturnal habits hint at a dangerous violence that lurks beneath the surface.”

European Film Award winner Krieps, who recently starred in Ryan Murphy’s Monster, “will play Alex, a devoted old flame of Maris’. As their relationship re-ignites, Alex’s growing bond with Maxy forces a deadly choice between maternal instinct and romantic obsession.”

Pic is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville of Wild Atlantic Pictures. Rooney Mara will act as an executive producer on the project with WME Independent handling North American sales.

Campbell-Hughes recently wrapped production on her second feature, High End, with Andrea Riseborough, Guy Pearce and Raffey Cassidy.

Gabrielle Stewart, CEO of HanWay Films, said: “Cinema has created many magnetic and iconic characters who dance on the edge of subversion and violence, from American Psycho to Silence of the Lambs, but few are women. Antonia and Rooney have a very clear vision to challenge us with the iconic character of Maris. Vicky Krieps is a perfect addition to the cast as she plays such a pivotal role in its exploration of maternal instinct and obsession. Vicky and Rooney together will deliver all the complexity needed to this astonishing and fresh exploration of violence and womanhood.”

Quest For Love was developed as part of the joint Screen Ireland and Luxembourg Film Fund initiative for female and non-binary filmmakers launched at Cannes in 2023.

Vicky Krieps is represented by United Agents, CAA, and Agence Adequat.