Late Fame

Late Fame is an upcoming American drama film directed by Kent Jones starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee. The film is based on Arthur Schnitzler’s posthumously published novella of the same name, a satire of the Young Vienna society.

Late Fame
Directed by	Kent Jones
Screenplay by	Samy Burch
Based on	Late Fame by Arthur Schnitzler
Produced by	Pamela Koffler Christine Vachon Mason Plotts Danny Roberts H.S. Naji Jackie Langelier Ethan Lazar Taylor Shung
Starring	Willem Dafoe Greta Lee Edmund Donovan
Production companies	Killer Films Fresh Fish Films Morning Moon Productions Working Barn Productions Pine Bay Pictures Spark Features In Bloom
Release date	August 30, 2025 (2025-08-30) (Venice)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The film will have its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025.

Premise

Late Fame explores the impact of newfound fame on Ed Saxberger (Dafoe), the author of a poetry collection that received little notice upon release but gained appreciation years later among a group of artists including Gloria (Lee), an actress eager to gain his attention.

Cast

• Willem Dafoe as Ed Saxberger
• Greta Lee as Gloria
• Edmund Donovan as Meyers

Production

In May 2024, Variety reported that Late Fame, starring Willem Dafoe and Sandra Hüller, was expected to begin shooting in New York City that fall with a screenplay penned by Samy Burch. The report noted that Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon of Killer Films had signed on as producers and that the project would seek distributors at Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

In October 2024, Greta Lee had replaced Hüller, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.^[2] In January 2025, it was reported Edmund Donovan had joined the cast, with principal photography beginning the week of January 22, 2025, in New York and New Jersey.^[3]

Release

The film will have its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025. It will also screen at the 2025 New York Film Festival.^[4]