Cate Blanchett Teaming With ‘Lady Macbeth’ Filmmaker Alice Birch on ‘Sweetsick’ for Searchlight Pictures

Cate Blanchett will star in “Sweetsick,” a new film about a woman who has the ability to see what people need most in life.

Alice Birch will write and direct in her feature directorial debut. She is best known for writing “Lady Macbeth” and for adapting Sally Rooney’s novels “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends” into acclaimed miniseries. Searchlight Pictures is backing “Sweetsick,” which will shoot this fall in the U.K. and Greece.

“I could not be more excited to be making my debut feature as a director with such an extraordinary team of filmmakers and collaborators,” Birch said in a statement. “To have the peerless Cate Blanchett at the center of it is thrilling.”

“Sweetsick” follows a mercurial woman (Blanchett) with an aforementioned “strange and piercing gift” as she sets out on a journey home. The rest of the cast will be announced shortly.

The film is being produced by Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Theo Barrowclough from House Productions alongside Blanchett and her Dirty Films banner. Lee Groombridge will also produce. Film4 will executive produce and co-finance.

“We’re all very big believers in Alice Birch and it’s been wonderful to see that the fantastic team she’s gathered around her, not least the amazing Cate, feel the same way – all drawn in by her bold, beautiful vision,” Ross said in a statement.

Blanchett has won two Oscars for “Blue Valentine” and “The Aviator.” Her other major credits include “Notes on a Scandal,” “I’m Not There,” “Carol” and “Tár.” Birch earned a WGA award for her work on ‘Succession.” Her additional screenplay credits include “The Wonder” and “Mothering Sunday.”

Blanchett is represented by CAA and Birch by UTA, Davis Law Group, and Giles Smart at United Agents.

Searchlight’s VP of development and production Pete Spencer and creative executive Cameron Chidsey are overseeing the project for the indie label, reporting into production and development heads Katie Goodson-Thomas and DanTram Nguyen. Farhana Bhula, director of Film4 and Alice Whittemore, a development and production executive, are overseeing the project for Film4. Farhana Bhula is an executive producer for Film4, and Zoe Edwards, Harry Dixon and James Green are executive producers for House Productions.