Jenna Ortega has been announced for a role in a forthcoming end-of-the-world film directed by a top French filmmaker—and it already has us buzzing with anticipation.
Jenna Ortega has become undeniably one of Netflix’s standout stars since the success of Wednesday, whose two seasons sit among the platform’s top ten English-language series (with the first season at No. 1). Yet she can’t be reduced to that triumph alone, especially given her horror résumé—broadly defined—including Scream (2022) and its sequel Scream VI, as well as X, American Carnage, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Death of a Unicorn.
But the actress is far from pigeonholing herself into horror, having recently starred in the romantic comedy Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall and already lined up several new projects, such as the thriller The Gallerist with Natalie Portman, The Great Beyond from J. J. Abrams, and the science-fiction film Klara and the Sun by Taika Waititi. And it’s not over yet: Ortega has also landed a role in a forthcoming world-ending feature from a superlative French director.
Jenna Ortega in French
The trade publication Variety announced the news: Jenna Ortega will star in Lily May B, the forthcoming feature from renowned French director Leos Carax. This will be the filmmaker’s first feature since Annette (2021), which earned Cannes’ Best Director honors and five César Awards, among others. While Carax’s filmography is relatively compact, many of his works have sparked debate and public admiration, such as Boy Meets Girl (1984) and Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991).
Lily May B seems already to be joining Carax’s surrealist canon, with an official synopsis that envisions a road movie set in the midst of a world-ending scenario, supported by a dreamlike concept art:
“Once upon a time there was a little girl, a young woman and a young man. Each carried a secret too heavy to bear. They met in a world at the end of the world and, together, rode a big motorcycle (through empty cities, deserted highways, ancient forests). During their journey, they faced many dangers, but kept moving. In search of who they were; in search of a place to be, perhaps?”
Very little else is known about Lily May B beyond a few milestone details: casting is expected to be announced in September, and filming is scheduled for spring 2027. In the meantime, Ortega can be seen in Klara and the Sun on October 21 in French theaters and in The Great Beyond on November 11. A little nod to the road, filming for season 3 of Wednesday (the release date has not yet been announced) took place in Paris last April.
