Lena Dunham and Mandy Patinkin team up for new drama Iron Box

German filmmaker Julia von Heinz has scored her dream team of Lena Dunham and Mandy Patinkin for her next film.

During last year’s Venice Film Festival, Julia admitted to Variety that she’d love the duo to star in Iron Box, which tells the story of a New York businesswoman who explores her Jewish roots during a trip back to her father’s native Poland.

And it seems saying yes was easy for Girls creator Lena and Homeland star Mandy, both of whom are Jewish.

“Julia’s film struck a deep chord in me both because of its radicalism and its core value of empathy. I knew I wanted to go wherever she was taking me, and the fact that she’s taking me further into an exploration of what it means to be Jewish and the stories we carry forward as daughters of trauma is deeply moving to me,” 34-year-old Lena enthused in a statement. “Mandy Patinkin is, of course, the icing on the genius cake.”

Mandy, 68, added that he realised he wanted in after watching Julia’s 2020 film And Tomorrow the Entire World.

“I knew instantly I was in the hands of a true filmmaker,” he praised. “She tells a riveting story in every frame and the performances are as truthful as I could ever wish for.

“Then we had a FaceTime call; she was full of humility, she was kind — two qualities that I long to be around. Then she sent me many books to read and an ancient language to begin learning. We were off to the races.”