Dakota Johnson will soon take on directorial duties for her upcoming drama A Tree Is Blue. Singer-songwriter Charli XCX, along with actors Vanessa Burghardt, known for Cha Cha Real Smooth and Jessica Alba of Fantastic Four (2005)-fame are in talks to star in the project.
Johnson will helm, with a script written by Burghardt, who co-starred with her in Cha Cha Real Smooth. The plot of A Tree Is Blue will reportedly revolve around a young woman on the autism spectrum who breaks free from her overprotective but loving mother in search of freedom, friendship, and a little chaos in the summer after high school graduation. Interestingly, Burghardt who makes her screenwriting debut is herself autistic.
Johnson, known widely for her films Fifty Shades and The Materialists, has previously directed a short film Loser Baby, which had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024. A Tree Is Blue will mark her first feature film project and is set to go on floors next month in Los Angeles.
The film, financed by Rivulet Entertainment, is backed by Johnson, Ro Donnelly and Sam Racanelli for TeaTime Pictures, along with Rob Paris and Mike Witherill for Rivulet. Hyunji Ward of TeaTime and Rick Steele serve as executive producers.