Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival less than a week ago, and the writer-director has already announced her next project. A press release revealed that she’s teaming up with cartoonist Terry Moore to adapt his long-running, award-winning graphic novel series “Strangers in Paradise” for the big screen.
The story centers on “Katchoo, a beautiful young woman living a quiet life with everything going for her. She’s smart, independent, and very much in love with her best friend, Francine. Then Katchoo meets David, a gentle but persistent young man who is determined to win Katchoo’s heart. The resulting love triangle is a touching comedy of romantic errors until Katchoo’s former employer comes looking for her and $850,000 in missing mob money,” the press release details. “As her idyllic life begins to fall apart, Katchoo discovers no one can be trusted and that the past she thought she left behind now threatens to destroy her and everything she loves, including Francine.”
“I’ve been wanting to adapt Strangers in Paradise for over a decade, since the first time I read it and couldn’t put it down,” Robinson said in a statement. “Terry Moore writes real female characters with such breathtaking sensitivity. With ‘Strangers in Paradise’ he pulls off the nearly impossible — a sexy, stylish crime story with tons of heart. I look forward to our collaboration!”
Moore added, “Angela and I have known each other for years and I greatly admire her creative vision. From Day One our common goal was to bring ‘Strangers in Paradise’ to the screen. It’s a complex story that took years to write and Angela gets it on every level. I can’t wait to get started!”
While the press release doesn’t specify, it seems likely that Robinson and Moore will co-write the screenplay and the former will direct.
“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” hits theaters October 13. Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of “Wonder Woman” creator Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans, “Beauty and the Beast”) and the women who inspired the iconic character: his wife, Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Christina Barcelona”), and lover, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote, “Man in the High Castle”). The biopic traces their polyamorous relationship and the role it played in “Wonder Woman’s” creation and reception.
“I came at this from the starting point of being a Wonder Woman fan,” Robinson has said of the project. “It was really important for me to tell the story of the Marstons and also honor and respect the character that they actually created.” She explained, “To me it was always a love story. I did a ton of research and I thought about the Marstons so much. And at the end I just tried to make a film about three people falling in love and I wanted you to feel like you feel when you fall in love.”
Robinson’s previous credits include “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The L Word,” and “Herbie Fully Loaded.”
