Toni Collette Dominates Hollywood In 2016, ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ Revival Confirmed


Toni Collette is yet another Australian actress who will be leaving their indelible mark in 2016. Rotten Tomatoes reports that the actress recently portrayed the role of an FBI agent in Imperium, a crime drama that shows the FBI taking down a white supremacist terrorist group.

Apart from featuring in Imperium, Toni Collette will also be seen acting in upcoming movies like Unlocked, The Yellow Birds, and Jasper Jones which are due to be released later in 2016.

Now, it is reported that the Muriel’s Wedding actress will be featuring along with Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, and Joanna Lumley in Andorra, a romantic thriller that is based on a novel by Peter Cameron. According to Deadline, Australian film director, Fred Schipisi will be directing the movie that revolves around the mysterious events that unfold when an American bookseller visits the country of Andorra and falls for a daughter of a local matriarch.

Toni Collette plays the role of Mrs. Ricky Dent, an Australian woman who owns a huge dog named Dino. Although known to be friendly, the character will be shown harboring a volatile secret. Filmmakers might have refused to divulge further details of the plot as they don’t intend to give the game away before the movie’s release, but readers of Peter Cameron’s 1997 novel of the same name will be able to appreciate Toni Collette’s character as one of the most notable characters in the story. Her role in Andorra will arguably be one of the most unique roles that she has played ever since she started out in show business in 1990.

Toni Collette made her debut by featuring in A Country Practice, an award-winning and long-running Australian television series. Mark Joffe’s Spotswood, the actress’s next project, gave her the opportunity to work with iconic actors like Anthony Hopkins and Russell Crowe.

Spotswood was just a stepping stone for Toni Collette as the film that abruptly gave her international fame was Muriel’s Wedding, the 1994 hit Australian movie in which Toni Collette played the lead role. In Muriel’s Wedding, Toni played the role of Muriel Heslop, a socially awkward happy-go-lucky girl and die-hard ABBA fan, who dreams of a glamorous marriage that will help her to get out of the dull sea-side town of Porpoise Spit.

Muriel’s lack of self-esteem causes her to resort to unscrupulous means to live the life that she has always dreamt of. In due course, Muriel realizes that life is more than a fantasy as things don’t go according to her plan. However, Muriel’s trusted friend makes her realize the important aspects of life by improving her confidence. Toni Collette’s work in the film was highly regarded, and she won both the 1994 FCCA and AACTA awards.

Apart from Toni Collette’s superb portrayal of her on-screen character, Muriel’s Wedding became even more popular due to its soundtrack that featured popular ABBA songs like “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” “Fernando,” “Mamma Mia,” and “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.” Now the 1994 Australian hit movie is poised to be revived and remade into a musical stage performance by P.J. Hogan, the writer and the director of the original film. The musical will be produced by the Sydney Theatre Company and P.J. Hogan will rewrite the script so that it will now appeal to a modern audience, one that lives in a world currently dominated by social media.

Fans of the original movie are set to find it amusing to see that their beloved characters are getting hooked on social media in addition to being obsessed with ABBA and, more importantly, with her dream wedding. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Kip Williams, Sydney Theatre Company’s interim artistic director, spoke about the continued relevance of Muriel’s Wedding in the lives of his fellow Australians.

“There’s an exploration of Australian family life inside the film, which is very pertinent, and there’s a broader exploration of Australian social life.”

[Featured Image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]

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