Anthony Hopkins joins cast of The Son, follow-up to his Oscar-winning film The Father

Veteran actor  Anthony Hopkins , who received the  best actor Oscar  for Florian Zeller’s directorial debut  The Father  earlier this year, has teamed up with the filmmaker for his next feature  The Son. While The Son is the follow-up to The Father, the upcoming film will not revolve around the same characters as the first movie. According to  The Hollywood Reporter, Hopkins joins Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, and newcomer Zen McGrath in the film that has just wrapped production in London. Zeller said after their journey on The Father, it was impossible for him to make another film without Hopkins, whose role is being kept under wraps. “He was the first one to read The Son’s script, as one of its characters was written especially for him. Having him by our side to tell this new story has been an honour, a profound joy, and very emotional,” the director said. To play the titular role in The Son, Zeller said he wanted “a new, unexpected face,” a quality McGrath possessed. “After a global casting search, I found Zen and was immediately dazzled by his intensity and his emotional power,” he added. The Son follows Peter (Jackman) and his new partner, Beth (Kirby), whose life with their new baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife, Kate (Dern), turns up with their teenage son, Nicholas (McGrath). Zeller and The Father co-writer Christopher Hampton adapted The Son from Zeller’s acclaimed stage play. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films are producing alongside Zeller and The Father producer Christophe Spadone.