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Dakota Johnson is set to make her feature directorial debut with a script written by actress and musician Vanessa Burghardt, best known for her role in Cha Cha Real Smooth. The announcement was made during the Kering Women in Motion conversation at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, where Johnson appeared alongside her producing partner Ro Donnelly of TeaTime Pictures.
Speaking about the upcoming project, Johnson shared a deep personal connection to Burghardt and the story at its core. “The girl that plays my daughter [in Cha Cha Real Smooth], Vanessa Burghardt, she is an autistic actress and musician and brilliant person, and we have been working with her on developing a script,” Johnson said. “It’s really special, and it’s about a young woman with autism. I feel very protective of her and her story in her mind… I just don’t think I could allow anyone else to direct it. So we’ll see.”
The project marks a significant step for both Johnson and Burghardt, emphasizing authentic representation and creative collaboration. Burghardt, who is on the autism spectrum, brings a unique voice and lived experience to the script, which Johnson appears fiercely committed to shepherding.
This is not Johnson’s first foray into directing. Her short film Loser Baby, which premiered at TIFF last fall, was intended as a proof of concept for a potential series. The film explored the complexities of queer friendship and identity in Los Angeles. However, Johnson expressed frustration that the project was not picked up. “Nobody wanted to f–king make it,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Why? That’s such a global conversation…’ but whatever. So it was a proof of concept that just is sitting there, proofing.”
Currently at Cannes to premiere Splitsville, a comedy directed by Michael Angelo Covino in which she stars and co-produced, Johnson also discussed TeaTime’s unique approach to filmmaking. “I have a ‘no a__hole’ policy,” she revealed. “The way that we build our sets is really vibe-based, really energy-based.”
Looking ahead, Johnson will appear in Celine Song’s Materialists this June, starring alongside Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. She’s also set to lead the 2025 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity, directed by Michael Showalter.
With this new feature, Johnson is doubling down on her passion for championing underrepresented voices and telling emotionally resonant stories—this time from the director’s chair.
