A24’s “Mother Mary” unites Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel in a pop melodrama. Plot, music team, dates, and why this duo could electrify 2025.
Two powerhouse names, one charged premise. Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel star in “Mother Mary”, a high-gloss drama about a world-famous musician and a visionary fashion designer whose relationship becomes the beating heart of an epic pop story. Announced by trades in March 2023, the David Lowery film grabbed attention early because of its unusual mix of romance, couture et stadium-scale music.
Here is the headline context: A24 is producing, David Lowery is directing from his own script, and the soundtrack features original songs from Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX, with a score by Daniel Hart (reported by Variety and Deadline in 2023). Production shot in Germany under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement during the 2023 actors’ strike, which lasted 118 days from 14 July to 9 November according to SAG-AFTRA. That continuity in filming kept the project on track while much of Hollywood paused.
“Mother Mary” explained: the Anne Hathaway – Michaela Coel pairing
The main idea is simple and potent: celebrity, creativity, and the pressure cooker where love and ambition collide. Hathaway plays a superstar musician; Coel portrays a fashion designer whose artistry meets the demands of fame. The film positions that bond at the center, not as a subplot, which instantly raises the stakes.
Observation matters here. Anne Hathaway brings the credibility of a 2013 Academy Award for “Les Misérables”, while Michaela Coel arrives with an Emmy win in 2021 for writing “I May Destroy You” and a reputation for razor-sharp storytelling. Different paths, same intensity. Put together, that balance of Hollywood polish and fearless originality feels tailor-made for a pop melodrama.
The problem this story can solve for audiences: the hunger for big-feeling, original, music-driven dramas that are not sequels. A24 knows that appetite. In 2022, the studio’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” crossed 140 million dollars worldwide and went on to win 7 Oscars in 2023, per the Academy and box-office reporting. That track record signals ambition, not just arthouse caution.
Music muscle: Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and Daniel Hart shape the sound
Variety reported that Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX are crafting original songs for the film, while Daniel Hart composes the score. That trio is not window dressing. Antonoff won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the Grammys three years in a row in 2022, 2023, and 2024, per the Recording Academy. Charli XCX, a chart-topping, risk-taking pop author, knows how to thread club instincts with radio hooks. Daniel Hart previously scored Lowery’s “The Green Knight” and “A Ghost Story”, building emotional coherence between quiet scenes and sweeping moments.
Why dwell on the credits. Because “Mother Mary” lives or dies on how music supports character. A pop melodrama needs songs that sound like cultural events inside the story. Antonoff’s stadium-ready craft meets Charli XCX’s futurist edge, while Hart ties it to the narrative so it does not feel like a playlist. That is the difference between a film about a star and a film that sounds like a star.
Concrete proof that the creative plan matters came during the 2023 strikes. With the 118-day SAG-AFTRA stoppage, many music-driven shoots stalled. “Mother Mary” secured an interim agreement, allowing cameras to roll in Germany in the fall, as covered by trade outlets and union updates. That decision preserved momentum for recording, choreography, and fittings that depend on tight scheduling.
Timeline, release window, and what to watch next
Here is the clean timeline, based on trade reporting. March 2023 : A24 et Topic Studios unveil the project with David Lowery, Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and Daniel Hart attached. Late summer to fall 2023 : filming continues in Germany under an interim agreement during the actors’ strike. Through 2024 : industry chatter points to a 2025 theatrical rollout, with exact dating positioned by A24 as marketing gears up.
Context helps expectations. A24 tends to platform prestige titles, letting word of mouth build across festivals before wide release. That strategy boosted “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and other breakout films. For “Mother Mary”, the likely path is similar: festival bow, heat around the soundtrack drops, fashion-world placements, then a broader push once audiences start talking.
What is missing right now is only the final date and the first full tracks. Those will frame the film’s identity in the wild. Expect a first song reveal to anchor marketing, followed by a trailer keyed to the music rather than plot spoilers. Given Antonoff’s recent Grammy streak and Charli XCX’s chart presence, a coordinated release can definitley turn the soundtrack into an event of its own.
One last practical note. For fans searching specifics: cast confirmations sit with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel as the leads, David Lowery writes and directs, and the musical team is Antonoff, Charli XCX, and Hart, per announcements in 2023. All signs indicate a polished, high-emotion title built to play big in theaters. Keep an eye on A24’s channels for the date drop, because timing the first single to that reveal will tell exactly how boldly this film plans to move.