Chris Pine has joined the cast of The Kidnapping of Arabella, the upcoming feature from Italian director Carolina Cavalli (Amanda). The Star Trek and Wonder Woman actor will headline the film, alongside Italian actress Benedetta Porcaroli (Netflix’s Baby).

Production starts this week in northern Italy, shooting between Veneto and Emilia Romagna.

The Kidnapping of Arabella tells the story of Holly (Porcaroli), an Italian woman who is convinced that she is the wrong version of herself until she meets a 7-year-old girl who makes her change her mind.

Pine is coming off his directorial debut, Poolman, which was a critical and commercial flop. That film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, saw Pine direct himself in a spoof of 1974’s Chinatown, playing a down-on-his-luck pool technician in Los Angeles who discovers a water heist. The film was panned by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter writing that the project “goes tonally off the rails from the start and proceeds to hit bottom with excruciating momentum.”

Producing The Kidnapping of Arabella are Antonio Celsi for Elsinore Film and Annamaria Morelli for Fremantle subsidiary The Apartment. Fremantle announced the casting on the eve of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, where The Apartment has two new films in competition: Pablo Larraín’s biopic Maria starring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas; and Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel, featuring Daniel Craig.

Chris Pine is represented by CAA, John Carrabino Management and Gendler, Kelly & Cunningham.