It’s looking like Alice Waddington will follow up “Paradise Hills” with “Scarlet.” The former, her feature directorial debut, premiered at Sundance in January. Netflix just snagged rights to the latter. Deadline broke the news.
Set to be penned by Waddington and Kristen SaBerre (“Knightfall,” “Hit the Floor”), “Scarlet” is based on an idea by Waddington. Plot details are being kept under wraps.
Waddington’s first short, 2015’s “Disco Inferno,” tells the story of a hell minion on a journey to rescue her boss. The project was invited to 65 international film festivals, and received honors for Best Director and Best Feature Project at Fantastic Fest.
No word on a release date for “Paradise Hills” just yet. Set in a mysterious boarding school for wayward girls, the fantasy stars Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story”), Danielle Macdonald (“Dumplin'”), and Eiza González (“Baby Driver”). When we asked Waddington what she’d like audiences to think about after seeing the pic, the Spanish filmmaker said, “I want women to feel empowered to try and become as brave as our female protagonists. I want young adults to know that there’s more than one way to be a woman, and that they can choose to become whatever makes their heart sing.”
“Persist and fight for your ideas,” she urged her fellow women directors. “If your gut tells you it’s right and your team agrees it’s sensible, go for it. Or,” she added, “to quote the ever-eloquent Björk, ‘I want to support young girls who are in their 20s and tell them: You’re not just imagining things. It’s tough. Everything that a guy says once, you have to say five times.'”
