‘Making a Movie About Religion Feels Dangerous Right Now’

Ask Ethan and Maya Hawke to talk about their new Flannery O’Connor film and they will quickly admit it’s a tough sell — to audiences, to studios. “If we wanted to make a hit movie, I don’t think a young woman dying of lupus who’s a failed writer on her spiritual journey is a real recipe for an immediate hit,” says Ethan. “A zombie apocalypse might be a little bit easier to get asses in seats.” “She was also a vampire,” jokes Maya.

Even tougher for the Hawkes is how they’re supposed to sell themselves...