Charlie Kaufman has begin pre-production on his directorial debut drama, Synecdoche, New York; Kaufman also wrote the screenplay.

According to Production Weekly, Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to star as Caden, a theater director who thinks he's dying, and ambitiously attempts to put on a play by creating a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse. Catherine Keener is set to play his first wife, Michelle Williams will play his second wife, Samantha Morton will appear as Hazel, his sometime lover, and Tilda Swinton will portray Keener's best friend and the dubious mentor to the daughter of Hoffman and Keener's characters.

Ten weeks of principal photography begins on Synecdoche, New York May 21st in New York.