Dakota Johnson to Make Directorial Debut with  a Feature Film

Dakota Johnson is getting ready to take on a very personal project through her production company, TeaTime Pictures, and become a director for the first time. ‘The Materialists’ superstar shared the news of her directorial debut at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

The film would be based on a story written by Vanessa Burghardt, an actress and musician with whom she previously worked on the 2022 independent smash ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’.

Dakota Johnson stated at a session that Burghardt, who portrayed her daughter in the film ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ and has autism, had penned an engrossing tale about the life of a young woman with autism. She underlined that the story has a special value for her and that she feels a great sense of obligation to realise the project herself because of her close friendship with Burghardt.

 Dakota Johnson said she couldn't imagine anyone else directing such a personal story and described Burghardt as a smart and inspirational person.  The script is unique, she said, because it captures Burghardt's genuine voice and imaginative vision.  Johnson will make his official feature picture directing debut with this next project.

Image Courtesy: Getty

Dakota Johnson, who is now at Cannes to promote her most recent film ‘Splitsville’, which had its world debut on 19th May, also talked about the company's larger objectives.  She disclosed that her desire for greater artistic fulfilment and creative freedom in the industry was the driving force behind her decision to launch her production firm.

 Dakota Johnson thought back to instances in which the finished edit of a movie didn't match what she thought they were doing at the time of production.  One of the reasons she decided to produce and now direct was this distance, she explained, which enables her to tell stories more truthfully from beginning to end.

Image Courtesy: Getty

Apart from ‘Splitsville’, Dakota Johnson has several movie releases in the queue. On 13th June, 2025, her love thriller ‘Materialists’—which also stars Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans—will be released in theatres.  Additionally, she is scheduled to feature in the 2026 release of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel ‘Verity’, which will be adapted into a movie.

 With a promising list of upcoming projects and her upcoming directing debut, Dakota Johnson is continuing to leave her mark on Hollywood's creative landscape both in front of and behind the camera.

–Farheen Ali