Screen diva, meet opera diva: it’s happening now that Angelina Jolie has signed on to play legendary opera singer Maria Callas. Pablo Larrain, the acclaimed Chilean filmmaker whose recent biopics of famous women — “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman, and “Spencer,” starring Kristen Stewart — earned both actors Oscar nominations for their performances will direct yet another exploration of a famous (and occasionally famously troubled) woman’s life. Though Callas’ life story has been told in the documentary, “Maria by Callas,” this narrative version is a passion project for the opera-loving Larrain, and as for Jolie, Callas — the Greek-American powerhouse whose vocal style became immediately recognizable and cemented her place in 20th-century opera history — is the perfect larger-than-life role for her to step into. Meanwhile, for older generations of gay men, Callas was also an icon, so the queer stars are in alignment for this project.
