On Monday afternoon, La Scala Theater in the heart of Milan was isolated and heavily guarded: it was in fact hosting Angelina Jolie busy filming the movie about the life of Maria Callas, the legendary and controversial opera singer, considered an icon of her time. Based on a true story, the film aims to tell the story of the wonderful but also tragic and tumultuous life of the world's greatest opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris. Filming will last eight weeks, and will take place in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan. "I am extremely excited to begin the production of Maria, which, I hope," said Chilean director Pablo Rallain, "will introduce the extraordinary life and work of Maria Callas to audiences around the world, thanks to Steven Knight's exceptional script, the work of the cast and crew and, above all, Angelina's brilliant performance and extraordinary preparation. The screenplay, completed before the writers' strike called by the WGA, was written by Steven Knight (Spencer, Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises). In the film, Jolie's costumes are based on the original dresses worn by Callas. The production consulted animal rights groups, including Peta, about the use of period fur garments worn in the film and from the historical archive of costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini. Moreover, no new fur will be used for the filming.