Women Writers
Trailer Watch: A Teen Will Do Whatever It Takes to Keep Her Family Together in “Sadie”
Sadie misses her dad. She writes him letters while he serves tours in the military, and no matter the distance between them, she remains extremely attached to him and anxiously awaits his visits....
Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira Teaming Up for “Americanah” TV Adaptation
The long-gestating screen adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” is moving forward. Nearly four years after Lupita Nyong’o first optioned the heartbreaking novel about love,...
Pam Fryman to Direct Pilot of “Murphy Brown” Revival
Pam Fryman has booked her fifth pilot this season, and it’s a big one: She’ll be re-introducing viewers to “Murphy Brown.” Deadline reports that she’s signed on to direct the first episode...
Rashida Jones to Co-Write “9 to 5” Reboot with Tomlin, Fonda, and Parton in Talks to Star
Many of the issues at the heart of hit 1980 feminist comedy “9 to 5” still resonate in 2018: equal pay, workplace harassment, childcare, and “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigots”...
Sundance Winners “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Shirkers” Find Homes
Two big winners out of Sundance 2018 have secured distribution: Reed Morano’s post-apocalyptic drama “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Shirkers,” Sandi Tan’s documentary about the bizarre...
March 2018 Film Preview
It’s Women’s History Month! We can’t think of a better time to celebrate women in film, whether behind the camera or on-screen. On International Women’s Day (March 8), Netflix debuts...
March 2018 Film Preview
“A Wrinkle in Time”: Disney It’s Women’s History Month! We can’t think of a better time to celebrate women in film, whether behind the camera or on-screen. On International Women’s Day...
Women TV Writers in the UK Sign Letter Asking Why They’re Being Denied Job Opportunities
Seventy-six women writers have banded together to pen an open letter to UK TV drama commissioners. Boiled down to its essence, the letter poses a very simple question to the execs: “Why are you...
Diane Paulus on Directing the Raw, Personal One-Woman Show “In the Body of the World”
Diane Paulus is a name most theatergoers are familiar with. She has directed productions of “Waitress,” “Finding Neverland,” “Pippin,” and “Porgy and Bess,” and serves as the Terrie...
Queen Latifah to Star in Make-A-Wish-Inspired Drama From Laurie Collyer
Queen Latifah is set to play a real-life fairy godmother. The Oscar-nominated actress has signed on to topline “Hope’s Wish,” an inspirational drama inspired by a real Make-A-Wish story....
Gina Rodriguez to Star in and Produce Netflix Rom-Com from Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Gina Rodriguez is adding another Netflix project to her slate. The “Jane the Virgin” star has signed on to topline and exec produce “Someone Great” for the streamer, The Hollywood Reporter...
Trailer Watch: Juliette Binoche Looks for Love in Claire Denis’ “Let the Sunshine In”
“You’re charming, but my wife is extraordinary,” Juliette Binoche is told in a new trailer for Claire Denis’ “Let The Sunshine In.” The Oscar winner plays Isabelle, a Parisian artist who...
Pilots: Amirah Vann Joins NYPD Drama About Sisters, Natalie Morales to Topline Bar Comedy “Abby’s”
“Underground’s” Amirah Vann and “Santa Clarita Diet’s” Natalie Morales each have a pilot in development. Vann has been cast as the lead in an untitled NYPD drama at ABC exec produced by...
Alafair Burke to Adapt Her Sexual Harassment-Themed Novel “The Wife” for Amazon Studios
Alafair Burke’s novel “The Wife” has only been on bookshelves for a month but plans for a film adaptation are already in the works. Following a bidding war with several parties, Amazon Studios...
2018 Athena List Announced
The 2018 Athena Film Festival (AFF) is in full swing. Last night’s opening film, Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes,” was followed by a Q&A with Billie Jean King...
Weekly Update for February 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Annihilation” Films About Women Opening This Week Annihilation After her husband disappears, a biologist (Natalie Portman) signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition in an environmental...
Adventures in Authenticity: Crowdfunding Picks
“Lorene’s Gotta Boogie” Follow the beaten path or the one less traveled? Life presents us many opportunities to explore this question, but every person’s journey towards a more authentic...
Yara Shahidi in Talks to Star in Tracy Oliver’s Adaptation of “The Sun Is Also a Star”
Yara Shahidi is “Grown-ish” and in talks to topline her own film. The actress may be starring in an adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s best-selling YA novel “The Sun Is Also a Star,” The...
Trailer Watch: Sandra Oh Courts Disaster with a Psychopath in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Killing Eve”
A trailer has finally dropped for “Killing Eve,” and it looks like we’re in for a riveting game of cat and mouse — it’s just not entirely clear who is playing which role. Hailing from...
Dianne Dreyer’s Directorial Debut Starring Rachel Brosnahan Nabbed by Screen Media
“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” breakout Rachel Brosnahan will be hitting the big screen later this year. The recent Golden Globe winner toplines “Change in the Air,” Dianne Dreyer’s directorial...
“Fleabag’s” Phoebe Waller-Bridge Has Another TV Project in the Works, Vicky Jones to Write
“Fleabag” won’t be returning for its sophomore season until 2019, but the dark comedy’s creator and star keeps lining up projects in the meantime. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her producing...
Katie Holmes to Topline Ilene Chaiken’s Fox FBI Drama Pilot
Katie Holmes is returning to broadcast TV. Deadline reports that the “Dawson’s Creek” alumna will lead the untitled Fox FBI drama pilot from Ilene Chaiken and Melissa Scrivner Love. Rose...
Trailer Watch: Halle Berry Fights to Keep Her Family Safe During the LA Riots in “Kings”
A trailer has arrived for Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s follow-up to “Mustang.” “Kings” sees the Turkish writer-director tackling the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the perspective of Millie...
Paul Feig and Kim Rosenstock’s “Girl Code” Gets Freeform Pilot Pickup
If you’ve been missing Cameron and Donna since “Halt and Catch Fire” concluded its four-season run in October, we’ve got some good news for you. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Freeform...
Anne Sewitsky’s Sonja Henie Biopic Scores Pre-Sale Deals
Figure skating is back in the news thanks to the PyeongChang Olympics and Margot Robbie-starrer “I, Tonya.” Now another controversial skater has a biopic on the way: three-time Olympic champion...
Winner of NYC’s #GreenlightHer Announced
The winner of #GreenlightHer, New York City’s inaugural women’s screenwriting competition, has been revealed: Patty Carey’s show “Half Life.” The comedy follows a woman juggling the...
Trailer Watch: A Rape Survivor Seeks Justice in Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Beauty and the Dogs”
“We stepped out for a walk on the beach,” Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani) recalls as she reports her rape in a trailer for “Beauty and the Dogs.” “We were by the sea when a white car pulled up....
Rachel Lee Goldenberg to Direct Pilot for CW Funeral Home Dramedy “Playing Dead”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg has an eclectic résumé: her directorial efforts include upcoming movie musical “Valley Girl,” meta Lifetime TV movie “A Deadly Adoption,” and the pilot for Andrea...
Keira Knightley-Starrer “Colette” and Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” Get Release Dates
Two films to score distribution out of Sundance 2018 have received release dates, Keira Knightley-starrer “Colette” and Debra Granik’s father-daughter story “Leave No Trace. ” Bleecker...
Olivia Wilde Is Making Her Feature Directorial Debut with “Booksmart”
Olivia Wilde is stepping behind the camera for her feature directorial debut. After helming a couple of music videos and a short, the “House” alumna is teaming up with Annapurna Pictures and...
TV Updates: Julie Plec to Helm “Roswell” Reboot Pilot, “Deadlier Than the Male” Ordered to Series
Another woman has landed her first-ever pilot directing gig. Deadline reports that “Vampire Diaries” co-creator and showrunner Julie Plec will helm the “Roswell” reboot’s pilot. She is the...
Trailer Watch: A Cowboy Searches for His Purpose in Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider”
“Sometimes dreams aren’t meant to be,” a former rodeo star is told in a new trailer for “The Rider.” Chloé Zhao’s award-winning drama is based on a true story and takes place in the...
Weekly Update for February 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Party” Films About Women Opening This Week “The Boy Downstairs” The Boy Downstairs — Written and Directed by Sophie Brooks (Opens in NY; Opens in LA February 23) Diana (Zosia...
Trailer Watch: Michelle Pfeiffer Is in Over Her Head in “Where Is Kyra?”
Michelle Pfeiffer loses her knight in shining armor in a new trailer for Sundance drama “Where Is Kyra?” “Thank God for my mom, she saved my ass,” Kyra (Pfeiffer) says in a new trailer for...
Sally Potter on Tackling Politics On-Screen in “The Party” and the Future of Feminism
Sally Potter is the writer-director behind films such as “Ginger & Rosa,” a coming of age tale set against the Cuban Missile Crisis, the romantic, iambic pentameter-performed “Yes,” and...
Lone Scherfig to Direct Modern-Day Fairy Tale “Secrets from the Russian Tea Room”
Lone Scherfig’s follow-up to “Their Finest” sees her leaving the London Blitz behind for a modern-day fairy tale set in New York City. The Danish filmmaker has signed on to write and direct...
Trailer Watch: Rooney Mara Refuses to Be Silent in “Mary Magdalene”
“God made you to be a mother,” Rooney Mara is told in a new trailer for “Mary Magdalene.” But she insists that she’s “not made for that life,” and instead decides that she’ll commit...
Oscar Nominee Ildikó Enyedi Is Making Her English-Language Debut, Léa Seydoux to Star
Palme d’Or-winning actress Léa Seydoux has signed on to star in “The Story of My Wife,” the new film from “On Body and Soul” director Ildikó Enyedi. The upcoming pic will focus on a...
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Season 4 Premiere Date Announced
The world’s most lovable weirdo is set to make her triumphant return to Netflix. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s” fourth season will hit the streamer May 30, Deadline reports. But there’s a...
Irish Film Board Launches POV Production & Training Scheme for Female Filmmakers
Calling all Irish women writers, directors, and/or producers: Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has announced a new initiative for female filmmakers. According to Scannain, the...
Valeska Grisebach on Exploring Heroes and Male Mythology in “Western”
Interview by Kelsey Moore Valeska Grisebach’s directorial debut, “Be My Star,” won the Critics’ Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Torino Film Festival’s main prize....
“The Chi” Creator Lena Waithe Has a New Show in the Works at TBS
Lena Waithe seems poised to build an empire. Her new Showtime series, “The Chi,” was renewed for a second season just weeks ago, and now comes word that she has another series in development at...
Trailer Watch: Award-Winning Autism Rom-Com “Keep the Change” Tells a Universal Story
“Because [‘Keep the Change’] deals with the subject of disabilities and specifically autism, people who haven’t yet seen it might dismiss it as a niche film — but it’s not a niche...
Trailer Watch: Lily James Wants to Write About “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”
Juliet Ashton’s (Lily James, “Cinderella”) career is off to a frustrating start in the trailer for “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” As a journalist, she’s not getting...
Melissa McCarthy to Co-Star with Tiffany Haddish in Andrea Berloff’s “The Kitchen”
Two of Hollywood’s funniest women are teaming up for a project. Melissa McCarthy has joined the cast of mob drama “The Kitchen,” Variety reports. Tiffany Haddish is also starring in the pic,...
Keira Knightley to Topline Spy Thriller “Official Secrets”
Keira Knightley is set to star in another spy story. Just months after signing on to topline a spy drama penned by Camilla Blackett (“Fresh Off the Boat”) comes word that the two-time Oscar...
Alicia Vikander to Topline Adaptation of “The Marsh King’s Daughter”
Alicia Vikander is expanding her ass-kicking résumé. The star of the upcoming “Tomb Raider” reboot is set to topline an adaptation of “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” a best-selling thriller...
WGA Winners: Tina Fey, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Flint,” and More
Offred’s story is still striking a chord. The 70th annual Writers Guild of America Awards took place over the weekend, and Emmy, Golden Globe, and DGA winner “The Handmaid’s Tale” took home...
Weekly Update for February 9: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Female Brain” Films About Women Opening This Week The Female Brain — Directed by Whitney Cummings; Co-Written by Whitney Cummings and Louann Brizendine (Also Available on VOD) What...
Elizabeth Olsen Will Star in Facebook Dramedy Series from Kit Steinkellner
Elizabeth Olsen portrayed an Instagram influencer in “Ingrid Goes West” and her next project will see her become a social media star in her own right — sort of. The Hollywood Reporter...
Trailer Watch: Edie Falco Has a Complex Bond with a Former Student in Lynn Shelton’s “Outside In”
Edie Falco plays a teacher whose work goes far beyond the classroom in Lynn Shelton’s latest. A trailer has arrived for “Outside In,” a drama that sees the “Nurse Jackie” alumna taking on...