Christoph Waltz reportedly to make opera directorial debut

It looks like Christoph Waltz, who won his second Academy Award in February for “Django Unchained,” will be taking a career detour into the world of opera later this year.

The Austrian-born actor is reportedly set to make his opera directorial debut with a new production of “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss.

Waltz recently told the German-language newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he will helm the production at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, Belgium. The debut is scheduled for Dec. 15, according to the newspaper.

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The new staging is to star Christiane Karg, Maria Bengtsson, Stella Doufexis and Albert Pesendorfer. The production is expected to travel to London’s Royal Opera House in 2016, with a cast that will include Renee Fleming.

A longtime opera fan, Waltz has in recent years been seen in the audience at Los Angeles Opera performances, including the company’s highly touted production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.

The actor told the German newspaper that his foray into opera will be “an experiment.”

In the category of Austrian-born, Oscar-winning actors to try their hands at directing opera, Waltz won’t be a first. Maximilian Schell has directed a number of opera productions around the world, including stagings of “Lohengrin” and “Rosenkavalier” for L.A. Opera.

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