Patricia Highsmith Biopic to Feature Shailene Woodley and Cara Delevingne as Lovers

An upcoming biopic on the life of author Patricia Highsmith will feature out actors Cara Delevingne and Shailene Woodley as lovers.

Patricia Highsmith authored 22 novels, among them Strangers on a Train (adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (adapted in 1999 and starring Matt Damon and Jude Law). She was queer, and in 1952 published one of the earliest lesbian novels to include a happy ending, The Price of Salt, which was made into the now-iconic sapphic film Carol. Highsmith wrote primarily in the psychological thriller genre.

Now, her life is being turned into a horror-themed biopic starring Shailene Woodley, Cara Delevingne, and Noémie Merlant. Up-and-coming filmmaker Alexandra Pechman has been tapped to direct, Deadline reports.

Dubbed The Murderous Miss Highsmith, the film will explore the author's troubled love life, centering on the tumultuous period just before she penned The Talented Mr. Ripley. Delevingne and Merlant are set to play two of Highsmith's partners, while Golden Globe-nominee Woodley will star as the titular novelist.

Woodley recently starred in The Fallout and The Last Letter from Your Love. She has several projects forthcoming, including Killer Heat for Amazon.

Delevingne, who won acclaim for her queer role in season two of Only Murders in the Building, was seen filming last month for American Horror Story season 12. Merlant, who played a lesbian painter in the critically acclaimed Portrait of a Lady on Fire, also starred in the award-winning drama Tár.

French production company Memento, which is handling sales for the project, said in a statement: "This is such a unique way to explore someone’s legacy, while implementing their world into their life story. The script goes from idyllic Italian settings to gruesome murder fantasies with a strong inspiration from her work. This is a new take to the biopic genre that will definitely leave a mark on the audience."

Filming for The Murderous Miss Highsmith is set to begin this fall in Italy.