Women Writers
Bruna Papandrea to Exec Produce Series Based on Allison Pearson’s “How Hard Can It Be?”
Bruna Papandrea has scored the rights to another buzzy novel with plans to bring it to the small screen. The “Big Little Lies” executive producer’s Made Up Stories optioned the rights to...
“On My Block” Renewed for Season 2
Netflix has given “On My Block” a sophomore season. Variety reports that the half-hour comedy co-created by Lauren Iungerich (“Awkward”) has been renewed. The series, which bowed in March,...
Emma Thompson Co-Writing and Directing “Nanny McPhee” Stage Musical
Emma Thompson is stepping into the director’s chair. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the Oscar winner will helm and co-write a stage musical adaptation of 2005’s “Nanny McPhee.”...
Trailer Watch: Elle Fanning Finds Her Voice in Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “Mary Shelley”
“I have a fire in my soul. And I will no longer allow you or anyone else to contain it,” says Elle Fanning in a new trailer for “Mary Shelley.” The “20th Century Women” star plays the...
Tribeca 2018 Preview: Women-Directed Films About Cyber Bullying, Police Brutality, Barbie, and More
“Time for Ilhan”: Chris Newberry With timely docs and features about online harassment, investigative journalism in the age of Donald Trump, and surrogates in its program, the 2018 edition of...
Weekly Update for April 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” Films About Women Opening This Week Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Documentary) — Directed by Sophie Fiennes (Opens in NY; Opens in LA...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones’ “Run” Gets Pilot Order from HBO
“Fleabag” creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge has yet another series in the works. Her newest show, BBC America’s “Killing Eve,” just received a second season pickup before a single...
“Broad City” to End With Season 5, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson Sign First-Look Deal with Viacom
Ilana and Abbi’s New York City adventures are coming to a close. “Broad City’s” previously announced fifth season on Comedy Central will be its last, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. It’s...
Jessica Jones Renewed for a Third Season
We haven’t seen the last of Jessica Jones. The sardonic heroine will be returning for a third run on Netflix. The streaming giant announced the news one month after “Jessica Jones’” second...
Trailer Watch: Sandra Bullock Plans a Heist at the Met Gala in “Ocean’s 8”
Sandra Bullock is an ex-con eyeing an epic comeback in “Ocean’s 8.” The Oscar winner plays Debbie Ocean, a woman who celebrates her release from prison by plotting a hugely ambitious heist. A...
Isabel Coixet’s “The Bookshop” Acquired by Greenwich Entertainment, Emily Mortimer Stars
“The Bookshop” is making its way to the United States. Isabel Coixet’s award-winning drama has been acquired by Greenwich Entertainment, Deadline confirms. The Emily Mortimer-starrer screened...
Leslie Hope to Make Feature Directorial Debut with Rom-Com “The Swearing Jar”
Leslie Hope is stepping behind the camera for “The Swearing Jar.” The “24” alumna will helm the indie romantic comedy, marking her feature directorial debut, The Hollywood Reporter...
Uzo Aduba and Janet McTeer to Star in New Plays by Lydia R. Diamond and Theresa Rebeck
Uzo Aduba and Janet McTeer are returning to the stage. The respective “Orange Is the New Black” and “Jessica Jones” actresses are set to topline new plays by Lydia R. Diamond and Theresa...
Laura Dern Sundance Breakout “The Tale” Gets Premiere Date and Teaser from HBO
“The Tale” made a major mark at Sundance earlier this year, and now Jennifer Fox’s acclaimed narrative debut is prepping for its HBO premiere. The Laura Dern-starrer has received an air date...
Trailer Watch: Glenn Close Is Fed Up with Being Defined as “The Wife”
“Don’t paint me as the victim. I’m much more interesting than that,” says Glenn Close in a new trailer for “The Wife.” An adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel of the same name, the...
Christina Hodson to Write “Batgirl” Movie
Two months after Joss Whedon exited the project, “Batgirl” has found a new writer. “Unforgettable” scribe Christina Hodson has signed on to pen the Warner Bros. film based on the beloved DC...
Ellen Shanman to Adapt Sci-Fi Assassin Thriller “The Hidden Girl”
Ellen Shanman has been tapped to pen “The Hidden Girl” for Studio 8. Inspired by an ancient Chinese myth and a short story by Ken Liu, the sci-fi pic follows “a team of women assassins who are...
Issa López to Make English-Language Debut with “Three Sundays”
Award-winning Mexican writer-director Issa López is set to make her English-language debut with Paramount Players’ love story “Three Sundays.” The Hollywood Reporter broke the news. Penned...
Gender-Swapped “High Fidelity” TV Reboot in Development
“High Fidelity” may soon be making its way to your “Top Five Gender-Flipped Reboots” list. “Ugly Betty” writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka are adapting the 1995 Nick Hornby novel...
Weekly Update for April 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“You Were Never Really Here” Films About Women Opening This Week “The Miracle Season”: LD Entertainment The Miracle Season — Co-Written by Elissa Matsueda Based on the inspiring true...
Tiffany Haddish to Exec Produce HBO Comedy Examining Female Blackness, Beauty, and Identity
After signing a first-look deal with HBO in January, “Girls Trip” breakout Tiffany Haddish has set up her first project with the premium cable network. The stand-up comedian will executive...
“Hidden Figures” Series in Development, “First Wives Club” Gets Pilot Order
We might be getting more Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Elise Elliot Atchison, Brenda Morelli Cushman, and Annie MacDuggan Paradis. That’s right: TV adaptations of “Hidden...
Liz Feldman’s “Dead To Me” Gets Series Order from Netflix
Liz Feldman’s latest project has landed at Netflix. The streamer gave a series order to dark comedy “Dead To Me” in a “competitive situation,” Deadline reports. Centering on an unlikely...
“Radium Girls” to Make Its World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival will host the world premiere of “Radium Girls,” a press release has announced. Set in the early 20th century, the drama follows two female employees of the U.S. Radium...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Killing Eve” Gets Second Season Pickup Before Series Premiere
BBC America has yet to air a single episode of “Killing Eve,” but the network is clearly expecting good things from the show: Days before its series premiere, the new thriller from...
Trailer Watch: An Expectant Couple Faces a Difficult Decision in Leena Pendharkar’s “20 Weeks”
Most of the conversations surrounding abortion assume that women seek the medical procedure only when their pregnancies are unplanned. Leena Pendharkar’s new film, “20 Weeks,” focuses on...
TV Adaptation of Christie Watson’s Nursing Memoir “Language of Kindness” On the Way
“The Language of Kindness” hasn’t even hit shelves yet and it’s already being adapted for the screen. Christie Watson’s memoir about nurses, compassion, caring, and healing is receiving...
Trailer Watch: BFFs Reconnect to Tackle a Bucket List in Elissa Down’s “The Honor List”
A tragic death brings former BFFs back together in a new trailer for Elissa Down’s “The Honor List.” Piper (Meghan Rienks, “Freakish”), Sophie (Karrueche Tran, “Claws”), Isabella...
Spring 2018 TV Preview: Shows Created By and About Women to Check Out
“Killing Eve”: Sophie Mutevelian Warmer weather, budding trees, blooming flowers — spring (fingers crossed) finally seems to be here. To make good news even better, it has arrived with a...
Octavia Spencer to Exec Produce Alethea Root’s Anti-Slavery Film “Mumbet”
Octavia Spencer is making good on her vow to produce stories that will “inspire and educate.” Variety confirms that the Oscar winner is executive producing the anti-slavery historical pic...
“Frozen” Breaks Record on Broadway
Anna and Elsa’s story took in over $1.2 billion on the big screen, and now the “Frozen” sisters are making a major mark on Broadway. Disney Theatricals’ adaptation of the pic “shattered...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Returning for Fourth and Final Season
Some bittersweet news for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” fans: Rachel Bloom and co. will be returning to West Covina for a fourth season, but it’ll mark the final installment of the critically...
Leah Nanako Winkler Wins Yale Drama Series Prize
Playwright Leah Nanako Winkler is adding yet another honor to her résumé. The New York Times reports that Nanako Winkler has won this year’s Yale Drama Series Prize for her latest play, “God...
Isabelle Fuhrman to Topline Deborah Kampmeier Drama About a Predatory Producer
“Hunger Games” alumna Isabelle Fuhrman has signed on to star in “Tape,” a timely indie drama sure to be associated with the #MeToo movement. Written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier and...
“A League of Their Own” Series from Abbi Jacobson in Development at Amazon
The Rockford Peaches are eyeing a return to the field. A series inspired by “A League of Their Own” is in development at Amazon, according to Variety. Reportedly “not a close adaptation” of...
Weekly Update for March 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Outside In” Films About Women Opening This Week Gemini “Gemini” A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant (Lola Kirke), and her Hollywood starlet...
Stephens College and SeriesFest Unveil Scholarship for Women Screenwriters Over 55
If you’re 55 or over, identify as a woman, and have TV and film writing aspirations, here’s some good news for you: Stephens College and television festival SeriesFest have announced The Jan...
Trailer Watch: The Hunters Become the Hunted in Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge”
Described by writer-director Coralie Fargeat as “a revenge movie somewhere between ‘Kill Bill’ and Lara Croft,” “Revenge” sees a woman going on vacation to a remote desert villa with her...
“Chewing Gum’s” Michaela Coel to Deliver Prestigious Lecture at Edinburgh TV Fest
“Chewing Gum” creator, writer, and star Michaela Coel has been invited to give the MacTaggart lecture at this year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival. She’ll become the fifth...
Women Creators and Directors Making Strides on 2018–19 Pilot Season
This pilot season looks like it will be a historic one for women directors and creators. According to a report from Variety, “female creators and directors saw gains virtually across the board.”...
April 2018 Film Preview
“Disobedience” There’s no shortage of heavy-hitters when it comes to women filmmakers premiering films this month. From veteran auteurs like Claire Denis, Lucretia Martel, and Lynne Ramsay, to...
“Andi Mack” Star Sofia Wylie to Make Film Debut in Louise Alston’s “Back of the Net”
Sofia Wylie is best known for her role as the confident and sporty best friend in Disney Channel’s “Andi Mack.” Now, Wylie is set to make her big screen debut in Louise Alston’s family...
“Brown Girl Dreaming” Author Jacqueline Woodson to Receive Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
The 15th annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest prize for children’s writing, will be awarded to author Jacqueline Woodson, BBC News reports. Woodson will receive the prize,...
Olivia Munn to Star in Justine Bateman’s Feature Directoral Debut “Violet”
Justine Bateman has had great directorial success with her short works. “Five Minutes” debuted at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and is an official selection at next month’s Tribeca Film...
Trailer Watch: Gilead Is Within Offred in “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2
When we last saw Offred (Elisabeth Moss), real name June, in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she was being carted away to who knows where in a foreboding black van. In the trailer for Season 2 of...
Join Women and Hollywood for a Special Screening of Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here”
“You Were Never Really Here”: Amazon Studios Women and Hollywood is working with Amazon Studios to help spread the word about the powerful new movie written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, “You...
Elissa Down’s “The Honor List” to Open 2018 Bentonville Film Fest
Director Elissa Down’s coming of age story, “The Honor List,” will open this year’s Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, “Back to the...
Connie Britton Will Topline and EP First Season of Bravo Anthology “Dirty John”
Connie Britton has booked yet another TV project. The “Friday Night Lights” alumna has signed on to star and executive produce Season 1 of “Dirty John,” Bravo’s upcoming true crime...
Adaptation of Sarah J. Maas Best-Seller “A Court of Thorns and Roses” On the Way
Sarah J. Maas’ YA fantasy novel “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is getting the big screen treatment. Deadline reports that Germany production company Constantin Film acquired the rights to the...
Nahnatchka Khan Directing Rom-Com for Netflix, Ali Wong and Randall Park to Star
“Fresh Off the Boat’s” Nahnatchka Khan, Ali Wong, and Randall Park are teaming up for a romantic comedy, Variety confirms. The ABC family comedy’s creator/showrunner, Khan, will direct Wong...
Weekly Update for March 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Unsane” Films About Women Opening This Week Unsane Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape the man who’s been stalking her for the last two years. While...