Cameras are rolling in Montreal on The Gift, a new feature film directed by Les 3 P’tits Cochons scribe Claude Lalonde.

The Gift is produced by Montreal-based 1976 Productions and written by philosophy teacher and first-time screenwriter Louis Godbout. Nicolas Comeau (Gerontophilia) serves as producer.

Starring Sir Patrick Stewart (X-Men trilogy) Katie Holmes (All We Had) and Giancarlo Esposito (Okja), the film follows a famous pianist nearing the end of his career who finds himself gripped by stage fright.

The film marks the directorial debut of Lalonde, who has won two Golden Reel Awards for highest-grossing film at the Canadian box office for 2007’s Les 3 P’tits Cochons and its 2016 sequel Les 3 P’tits Cochons 2. Lalonde also recently wrote the screenplay for Mr. Roach, an adaptation of Rawi Hage’s award-winning novel, Cockroach.

The Gift is slated for an April 2018 release.

Image: Director Claude LaLonde with star Sir Patrick Stewart