Dakota Johnson Nears Deal for Feature Directorial Debut at Karlovy Vary

Actor-producer Dakota Johnson said she is close to locking the final details for her first feature as a director, an as-yet-untitled project being developed with her Cha Cha Real Smooth co-star Vanessa Burghardt. Speaking during a press roundtable at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Sunday, Johnson called the film "very close to my heart" and insisted she "won’t let anybody else" direct it. Johnson, 35, explained that moving behind the camera will allow her to shape a healthier work environment, declaring that she "can’t waste time on toxic sets anymore." She added that producing and now directing give her the ability to choose collaborators and emphasise female-centred, emotionally provocative stories. The “Madame Web” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” star is in the Czech spa town to receive the festival’s President’s Award and present two new films: Celine Song’s Materialists, in which she appears opposite Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, and Michael Angelo Covino’s Splitsville, which she produced through her TeaTime Pictures banner.