Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling to star in Irish drama Maya Butterfly

Production has commenced on Maya Butterfly, a new Irish psychological drama set in the world of opera.

The film stars Belfast-born Jessica Reynolds (Kneecap) and Academy Award nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years).

Filming will take place at the National Opera House in Wexford and in Belfast.

According to an official synopsis, Maya Butterfly “tells the story of a rising soprano who is secretly losing her hearing and must fight to survive the opening week of a radical opera production, until the truth threatens to destroy both her career and her identity.”

It follows the young singer as she prepares for a production of Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, a three-act opera written in 1904.

Directed by Edwina Casey, the film marks the Irish opera director’s feature debut. She previously won the Bingham Ray New Talent Award and her work spans international opera, film and commercial directing.

“I am honoured to be realizing this film with two immensely talented artists: Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling,” said Casey. “Told in the first-person perspective, Maya Butterfly will be a sensory experience of one singer’s destructive process during the most important week of her career.”

The film is produced by Conor Barry and Richard Bolger for Hail Mary Pictures, with funding from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Yellowmoon.

A release date and further casting details have not yet been announced.