Sam Taylor-Johnson to direct husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Rothko

Sam Taylor-Johnson will direct her husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, along with Michael Stuhlbarg and Russell Crowe in a new drama about the art of painter Mark Rothko.

Adapted for the screen by writer Lara Wood from Lee Seldes' book, The Legacy Of Mark Rothko, Deadline has reported that the film will tell the true story of the artist's teenage daughter, Kate Rothko, as she fights for her late father's legacy in a legal battle against his estate executors and the directors of his gallery, Marlborough Fine Art.
Academy Award-winner Crowe is to portray Rothko himself, while up and coming talent Aisling Franciosi will play his daughter. Chernobyl's Jared Harris is attached to the project in a supporting role.

“Rothko is not just a movie about the great artist, but rather a timeless story about right versus wrong," Sam Taylor-Johnson said in a statement.

"It’s Kate Rothko’s journey to protect the seminal paintings from the corrupt men who betrayed her father and stole his art; it is a reckoning with men in positions of power who try everything to destroy her father’s legacy,” she went on.

The Taylor-Johnsons, who met on the set of Beatles film Nowhere Boy, will also produce the film, along with Jared Freedman and David Silverton.