ritual of two living persons with no despair in that moment. And then there would be the flashbacks bringing in all the despair." Denis compared Pattinson's character to the knight Percival of Arthurian legend, and Binoche's character to Medea from the Greek tragedy. Casting During the project's early stages, Denis had Vincent Gallo in mind for the lead role, and wrote the film thinking of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The project later caught the attention of Robert Pattinson; according to Denis:Pattinson contacted the person who was doing the English casting. I was intrigued but I thought he was too young. Every time I went to London to meet some actors, he was there. His desire to work with me has never faltered. And now he is a little less young and it's perfect. […] It's strange, though, because it would be difficult to imagine anyone more unlike Philip Seymour Hoffman physically, but Robert is very enigmatic, with a powerful presence. He gives off an aura that immediately makes you want to film him.Pattinson described his character as an astronaut and said, "He's a criminal who volunteers for a mission toward a black hole, but he realizes along the way that a doctor on board also wants to do sexual experimentation with humans in space." In late 2015, Patricia Arquette and Mia Goth joined the cast. In September 2017, Arquette dropped out while the rest of the cast, including Juliette Binoche and rapper André 3000, were also announced. Playing the role of baby Willow is Scarlette Lindsay, Pattinson's goddaughter. After Pattinson was unable to bond with the babies cast as Willow, he remembered that Lindsay was friendly around adults. Pattinson asked a favour of Lindsay's father to cast her in the film, which he described as a "massive gamble" that was ultimately paid off by her "incredible" performance. Filming Principal photography began in Cologne, Germany on 4 September 2017. The Polish part of the shooting took place in Białystok. Filming wrapped in late October 2017. Release Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film competed in main competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in late September 2018. The film had its theatrical release in France on 7 November 2018 and in the United Kingdom on 10 May 2019. A24 acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. The film was released in the United States on 5