It took seven years for Vlad Marsavin ‘s directorial debut Wonderwell to be completed.
Filming took place in 2016, a few weeks before the sudden disappearance of Carrie Fisher , Princess Leia from Star Wars , who appears here as the enigmatic witch Hazel. And now, finally, after years of difficulties, a long post-production and delays due to Covid, we can see the trailer for the film.
Shot between Tuscany and Cinecittà, Wonderwell centers on Violet ( Kiera Milward ), a curious little girl who lives in Italy with her American parents and her beautiful older sister, Savannah ( Tiger Free ). When she the latter is chosen as the testimonial of the fashion house of the famous designer Yana ( Rita Ora ), the family goes to a medieval village for a photo shoot. Ignored and bored, Violet ventures into the nearby woods and there meets the enigmatic Hazel (Fisher), who warns her about Yana’s troubled stepson Daniele ( Sebastian Croft ). Led by Hazel to a mysterious portal, Violet gets a glimpse of what the future may hold.
Vlad Marsavin called the making of the film “risky”:
Visual effects in a film of this magnitude take time, but we have been challenged by the Covid lockdowns and of course the passing of our extraordinary Carrie Fisher. This is the perfect time to share her magical on-screen moments as Hazel.