What’s in store for the project reuniting (once again) Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst?

Published on 14 October 2025. Updated on 24 March 2026.

Sofia Coppola abandons her film project with Kirsten Dunst

The news delighted fans of the actress and director! In August 2025, during an interview with the American magazine Town & Country, actress Kirsten Dunst revealed that she was reading the script for Sofia Coppola‘s next film, which was scheduled to begin filming in 2026 in the United States.

Very little information had leaked out about this feature film at the time, other than that it would be a historical drama centered on a little-known person. But the mere prospect of a new project reuniting the American filmmaker and her favorite actress was enough to electrify film lovers…

But while the return of the Coppola-Dunst duo was already one of the most anticipated cinematic events of 2026, the American director finally announced that she had abandoned the feature film project. In an interview with the American edition of Elle magazine on March 18, 2026, Sofia Coppola stated: “It seemed too sad to me (…) We no longer really know where we stand in these dark times. I want to bring a little hope and beauty to the world, but I also don’t want to do something superficial, because I feel like it’s time to focus on deeper things..”

Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst, an iconic collaboration

The announcement of this film project came a few months ago as we were celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the cult classic The Virgin Suicides (2000). This cult teen movie, steeped in melancholy and dark romanticism, not only launched Sofia Coppola’s career, but also cemented an artistic friendship with Kirsten Dunst.

Since then, the duo had met up several times. First in the historical drama Marie Antoinette in 2006, then in the comedy thriller The Bling Ring (2013), in which Kristen Dunst makes a brief appearance as herself. Finally, the New Jersey-born actress and the New York-based director collaborated again in the war film The Beguiled (2017) alongside Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning.

After Priscilla, the (very) anticipated return of Sofia Coppola

With Priscilla (2023), Sofia Coppola confirmed her talent for exploring female figures constrained by patriarchal institutions.
Starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, the film had won over critics when it was presented at the Venice Film Festival. For her part, Kirsten Dunst had shone brightly in the film Civil War (2024). A terrifying road trip amidst American gun battles in which she plays war photographer Lee Miller.

Although the cancellation of her film with Kirsten Dunst has just been announced, 2026 is still shaping up to be a busy year for Sofia Coppola. The director notably presented her first documentary, Marc by Sofia, at the Venice Film Festival 2025. A unique project (available in the United States from March 27, 2026) that retraces the career of designer Marc Jacobs while revealing their close friendship. Between confidences and immersion in the world of fashion, the film, which does not yet have an official release date in France, offers an incursion into the unbridled world of the New York stylist.

Sofia Coppola’s film starring Kirsten Dunst will not be made. Le film Marc by Sofia, par Sofia Coppola n’a pas encore de date de sortie en France.