EXCLUSIVE: Jared Leto shoots film about Karl Lagerfeld

The first time Jared Leto met Karl Lagerfeld, the actor said to the creator, "You know, one day I have to play you in a movie."

Lagerfeld responded approvingly, saying, "Only you, honey, only you."

"I feel like we've come full circle and Karl would be proud of what we're doing ", Leto shared, revealing to WWD exclusively that he is teaming up with fashion house Karl Lagerfeld to create a feature film about the late German fashion superstar.

Leto is not only set to star in the lead role, but also produce the film alongside his co-star Emma Ludbrook, through their production company Paradox.

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“Karl was an artist. Period,” Leto said. “He was a fashion designer , he was a photographer, he was an artist. There was no definition of him. He was a creative force."

It's still unclear when the cameras will start rolling, and the exact storyline remains under wraps, though he will delve into "key relationships in Karl Lagerfeld's life, told through an unpredictable lens, much like the man himself." The producers are currently in conversation with the filmmakers,” according to a Karl Lagerfeld company press release.

When asked if the film would be a love story, Leto replied, "He are a multitude of relationships with explorer. Karl had a career that spanned over 50 years, so personally and professionally he was close to a number of people. I can say that we are going to focus on the key relationships that convey different parts of his life."

Leto will collaborate with three of Lagerfeld's most trusted confidants, who will partner with him as as executive producers of the upcoming film. They are Pier Paolo Righi, general manager of the Karl Lagerfeld house since 2011; Caroline Lebar, senior vice president, image and communications at Karl Lagerfeld, who tirelessly stood shoulder to shoulder with the designer for 35 years advising him on press matters, and Sébastien Jondeau, who spent two decades as personal assistant and body of the creator.

Karl Lagerfeld, Sebastien Jondeau, Pier Paolo Righi and Caroline Lebar. Cesar Segarra

Righi said the company has been approached by several Hollywood producers over the years, all of whom are keen to team up on a film about Lagerfeld's life and career.

"It wasn't until we met Jared and Emma that we felt really confident as to the story being told in the artistic way Karl would have liked to see," Righi said in the statement. "Throughout our conversations, we created an equally confident and inspiring creative relationship that...