In the upcoming film Blonde, filmmaker Andrew Dominik presents a bold reimaging of the Marilyn Monroe story, with Ana de Armas starring in the fictional take on the iconic blonde bombshell. “Our movie is not linear or conventional; it is meant to be a sensorial and emotional experience,” De Armas told Queue. Based on the bestselling 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates, the film is full of reenactments of scenes from Monroe movie classics like The Seven-Year Itch and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But even in these more familiar moments, Blonde reevaluates the actor’s inner life. It’s the story of a scared young woman trapped inside the career of a Hollywood superstar. To get just a taste of that story, we’ve gathered together everything you need to know about Blonde right now.

Blonde cast

Alongside de Armas as Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson), the film’s all-star cast takes on nameless versions of other famous Hollywood figures, which Monroe scholars should be able to quickly piece together. Adrien Brody and Bobby Cannavale play Monroe’s two husbands, The Playwright and The Ex-Athlete, and Julianne Nicholson plays Norma Jeane’s mother, Gladys. The film also features Sara Paxton, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams.

Blonde production

To transform into Monroe, de Armas spent between two-and-a-half and three hours in makeup every day. She spent countless more in costume fittings and changes — the finished film has her speeding through 100 costumes. Over the course of the 47-day production, Blonde filmed in 25 locations in and around Los Angeles, including two legendary film studios (Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox), famous restaurant Musso & Frank and the gorgeous beaches of Malibu. The filmmakers often found themselves treading on the same ground as Marilyn herself; production began in Hollywood’s Raleigh Studios, close to one of the star’s childhood homes.

Blonde teaser

You can check out the tantalizing and evocative first look at Blonde right here. 

Blonde Teaser

Blonde trailer

The film’s full trailer is out now, and it gives us a closer look at the film’s dreamy imagined vision of the dividing line between Marilyn Monroe and Norma Jeane. 

Blonde Main TrailerWatched by all. Seen by none.

Blonde photos

You can see photos of de Armas’s transformation below. 

Blonde release date 

Blonde hits Netflix globally Sept. 28.