Blonde movie 2022: Marilyn Monroe film release date on Netflix and in cinemas - and cast with Ana de Armas

Upcoming Netflix movie Blonde, directed by Andrew Dominik, offers a fictionalised chronicle of the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Dominik previously directed historical biopic The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and crime drama Killing Them Softly.

Blonde is the director’s first film project since 2012 and is ambitious in its scope - the sprawling biopic will be Netflix’s first 18-rated original feature film.

What is Blonde about?

The film explores Norma Jeane’s traumatic childhood and how she became a Hollywood icon in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Behind the scenes of the star’s glamorous career lies exploitation, troubles in love, and drug addiction.

Monroe’s marriages and her relationship with President John F. Kennedy are also dramatised in this fictionalised account of Monroe’s life.

Who was Marilyn Monroe?

Marilyn Monroe, born  Norma Jeane Mortenson, was arguably the most well-known American actress of the 1950s.

She was known for the hit films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, and The Seven Year Itch.

She was also a sex symbol and posed in the first edition of lads magazine Playboy back in 1953.

Monroe was married three times, first to police officer James Dougherty, then to baseball star Joe DiMaggio, and finally to playwright Arthur Miller, whom she divorced a year before her death.

Monroe was also rumoured to have had affairs both with American President John F, Kennedy, and his brother Robert.

In 1962 Monroe died of a drug overdose at her home in Los Angeles and was found by her housekeeper.

Her death was ruled as a possible suicide due to her history of drug abuse and previous suicide attempts.

Who stars in Blonde?

Ana de Armas stars as Norma Jeane (the real name of Marilyn Monroe) in this fictionalised account of the star’s life.

De Armas is best known for roles in major blockbuster films including Blade Runner 2049, The Gray Man, Knives Out, and the latest Bond film No Time To Die.

She will also star in the upcoming action adventure film Ghosted, and is rumoured to appear in action thriller Ballerina which is currently in pre-production.

Other cast members in Blonde include:

• Lucy DeVito
• Garret Dillahunt
• Adrien Brody
• Sara Paxton
• Julianne Nicholson
• Bobby Cannavale
• Scoot McNairy
• Rebecca Wisocky
• Caspar Phillipson
• Xavier Samuel
• Toby Huss
• Catherine Dent
• Evan Williams
• Haley Webb
• Eden Riegel
• Spencer Garrett
• Dan Butler

Is Blonde based on a true story?

Blonde is a biopic, so the focus of the film, Marilyn Monroe, is based on the real Hollywood star.

However, the film is billed as a ‘fictionalised biopic’ and is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, which is a reimagining of Monroe’s life.

Oates previously said that her novel was a work of fiction and should not be regarded as a biography.

The film will rename real people from Monroe’s life (her husbands Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller are referred to as the Ex-athlete and the Playwright) and create a fictional narrative of events to drive the plot.

When is the Blonde release date?

Blonde will have a limited cinematic release in the UK from 23 September.

It will be released on Netflix in the UK and internationally on 28 September - it has a run time of 2hrs 46 mins.