Sandra Hüller has been cast to play the late German writer Wolfgang Herrndorf in "Arbeit und Struktur" ("Work and Structure"), Maria Schrader's adaptation of Herrndorf's acclaimed autobiographical account of living with a terminal brain tumour. The casting is notable both for its cross-gender portrayal and for the pedigree involved: Schrader, an award-winning director and screenwriter, will bring to the screen one of contemporary German literature's defining works, with Hüller taking on the role at a moment when her own profile is rising thanks to a strong run of acclaimed films.

The film is produced by Komplizen Film and co-produced by Studiocanal, ZDF and France's Haut et Court, with production due to begin in early 2027 and release planned for Germany, France and Italy in 2028. Herrndorf, diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour in 2010, chronicled his final years in an online diary later published posthumously in 2013, which became a literary sensation in Germany; Schrader is writing the screenplay with Jan Schomburg. Hüller, an Oscar nominee for "Anatomy of a Fall" who could earn further nominations this year for "Project Hail Mary" and "Fatherland," described the role as both an honour and a challenge.