Overview
- First-look images and official press materials published Monday and Tuesday confirmed the cast, creative team, and that Genesis is presenting the project.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote and directed the 17-minute short, which pairs Dakota Johnson as Monroe at her height with Ellen Burstyn as an imagined older version.
- Venice’s logline says the film centers on an older woman auditioning in a small New York blackbox theater, a setup that lets the short probe myths about Monroe’s life without retelling her biography.
- The project was produced with the blessing of Marilyn Monroe estate holders Authentic Brands Group and lists Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi among the supporting cast.
- Flesh Impact will premiere at the September Venice Film Festival where Burstyn will receive a Golden Lion, a festival placement that raises the profile of the brand-funded centennial tribute and could shape how Monroe’s estate-sanctioned portrayals are received.