Timothée Chalamet will not be traveling the 3,462-odd miles from New York to London to make his West End debut.
The “Dune” star was slated to lead the Pulitzer Prize finalist play “4,000 Miles,” written by Amy Herzog, back in 2020. However, the play has now been canceled due to scheduling conflicts ahead of its intended premiere at the Old Vic.
The postponement of “4,000 Miles” was announced on March 18, 2020, per The Guardian. Immediately the play starring Chalamet and Eileen Atkins was one of the top-selling shows for the Old Vic and was fully rehearsed before the COVID-19 lockdown started.
The official synopsis reads: “After suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, 21-year-old Leo (Chalamet) seeks solace from his feisty 91-year-old grandmother Vera (Atkins) in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. ‘4,000 Miles’ looks at how two outsiders find their way in today’s world.”
Chalamet, Atkins, and the Old Vic’s artistic director, Matthew Warchus, penned an email to ticket holders on May 4, writing, “Despite an enormous amount of effort from all involved, we have now sadly and reluctantly concluded that we are unable to reschedule the show at a time possible for everyone involved.”
The statement continued that “despite two years of trying hard to make it work,” production will not go forward. Ticketholders were also encouraged to donate their ticket cost rather than request refunds to financially support the nonprofit Old Vic theatre.
Chalamet’s schedule certainly has become trickier since “4,000 Miles” was set to premiere originally. The “Call Me by Your Name” star recently teamed up again with director Luca Guadagnino for the cannibal love story “Bones and All,” expected to come out sometime this year, plus is in pre-production on “Dune 2.”
Chalamet additionally transforms into young Willy Wonka for Warner Bros. “Wonka,” in theaters December 15, 2023. The first footage of the musical movie, which is directed by Paul King, was shown at the recent CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.
There is no word yet if Chalamet will make his Broadway or West End debuts else where anytime soon.
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