Matthias Schoenaerts, the Belgian star of "Rust and Bone," on the terrace of the Villa UGC on La Croisette.
Rising star Matthias Schoenaerts has dropped out of Belgica, the upcoming feature from The Broken Circle Breakdown director Felix van Groeningen, to focus on an upcoming U.S. project, Belgica producer Menuet announced Monday.
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Schoenaerts, whose performances in the Oscar-nominated Bullhead (2011) and Golden Globe nominee Rust and Bone (2012) helped launch his international career, was set to star in Belgica alongside fellow Belgian actor Stef Aerts (Oxygen). The film tells the story of two brothers who open a popular pub-turned-club in the Belgian city of Ghent and the strain the business puts on their relationship.
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Menuet said it would announced a replacement for Schoenaerts ahead of shooting for Belgica, set to begin in Ghent December 1. The Match Factory is handling world sales on the title.
Schoenaerts is appearing in a number of upcoming English-language productions, including crime drama The Drop from his Bullhead director, Michael R. Roskam; Thomas Vinterberg‘s literary adaptation Far From the Maddening Crowd; and Alan Rickman‘s A Little Chaos, which will be the closing film at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.
Schoenaerts is represented by CAA. Director van Groeningen is represented by CAA and Management 360.
Email: Scott.Roxborough@Thr.com
Twitter: @sroxborough
