Olivier Assayas is bringing Kristen Stewart back into supernatural territory with Spiritual World, a new film that reunites the filmmaker and actor for their third collaboration. Kristen Stewart will lead the film as Ada, a haunted young woman with clairvoyant abilities and mysterious premonitions. The ensemble also includes Riley Keough, Wagner Moura, Vicky Krieps, Niels Schneider and Barbara Sukowa. Production is scheduled to run from February through April 2027 in France and Germany, with Curiosa Films producing and ARTE France involved in the project.
The new film places Kristen Stewart at the centre of another story where the ordinary and the unexplained meet. As Ada, she will portray a young woman whose clairvoyance leaves her troubled by visions and premonitions she cannot easily escape. ARTE France describes the project as returning Assayas to the supernatural and fantastical territory explored in Irma Vep and Personal Shopper, giving the new film a clear connection to one of the director’s most distinctive creative periods.
Spiritual World also brings together two collaborators whose previous films became important parts of their careers. Kristen Stewart and Assayas first worked together on Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), followed by Personal Shopper (2016). Their return is therefore more than a reunion between a director and actor; it marks another chapter in a partnership that has already explored identity, performance, uncertainty and the supernatural.
Clouds of Sils Maria proved particularly significant for Stewart. Her performance earned her the César Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first American actress to receive the honour in that category. The recognition added another dimension to a film that had already established her as a major presence in international cinema.
Two years later, Personal Shopper took Kristen Stewart and Assayas into darker supernatural territory. Stewart played Maureen, a young woman waiting for a possible sign from her deceased twin brother. The film competed at Cannes in 2016, where Assayas shared the Best Director award with Cristian Mungiu for Graduation. That history makes Spiritual World especially notable, as it reunites the pair for another story built around the unseen.
The supporting cast gives the project an equally international character. Riley Keough joins Wagner Moura, whose global profile grew through Narcos, while Vicky Krieps brings recognition from films including Phantom Thread. Niels Schneider and Barbara Sukowa complete the announced ensemble, with Sukowa bringing decades of experience from European cinema. Together, the cast gives Assayas a varied group of performers for his latest supernatural story.
The production schedule is already taking shape. Spiritual World is set to film from February to April 2027 across France and Germany, with Curiosa Films attached as the French production company and ARTE France supporting the project. No release date has been announced, keeping the focus for now on the upcoming shoot.
The project is also interesting because Assayas has moved between intimate character stories and unusual forms of filmmaking. In Spiritual World, that balance appears through Ada’s experience of unexplained visions rather than a conventional horror setup. The announcement does not reveal further plot details, so the mystery surrounding Ada remains under wraps. The appeal lies in the combination of Assayas’ direction, Stewart’s return to a supernatural role and a cast drawn from international cinema.
For Kristen Stewart, the film extends a partnership that has already produced two distinct performances. For Assayas, it offers another opportunity to explore the space between what characters can understand and what they cannot explain. That connection gives Spiritual World a creative foundation without revealing the story before filming.