Women Writers
Tanya Saracho Series “Brujas” Being Developed by Big Beach
Playwright and TV scribe Tanya Saracho has a new project in the works. She’s tapped to serve as showrunner on “Brujas,” a series being developed by indie producer and financer Big Beach....
Weekly Update for December 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“I, Tonya” Films About Women Opening This Week I, Tonya (Opens in NY and LA) Based on the unbelievable but true events, “I, Tonya” is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater Tonya...
“Wonder Woman,” “Lady Bird,” and “Insecure” Among AFI’s Top Films and TV Shows of 2017
“Wonder Woman” earned rave reviews and grossed over $821 million worldwide, and now we know we can count The American Film Institute among its millions of fans. AFI has announced its 10 best...
Sally Field Memoir on the Way
They like her. They really like her. Grand Central Publishing (GCP) has snagged the North American rights to Sally Field’s upcoming memoir, Deadline reports. Described as the two-time Oscar...
Angelina Jolie, Patty Jenkins, and Greta Gerwig Participate in THR’s Director Roundtable
Gerwig: THR It’s frustratingly common to see director roundtables and panels with zero women participants — discussions where female filmmakers literally don’t have a voice. Fortunately...
Angela Robinson to Receive Inaugural Mind the Gap Award
Angela Robinson earned raves for her depiction of “Wonder Woman’s” origin story in “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women,” and now the writer-director is set to be honored for the...
Trailer Watch: Joaquin Phoenix Is Brutal in Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here”
AU.S. trailer has landed for Lynne Ramsay’s Joaquin Phoenix-starrer “You Were Never Really Here,” and it’s intense. “They said you were brutal,” a State Senator (Alex Manette) tells Joe...
Trailer Watch: Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, and Retta Rob a Store in “Good Girls”
“I’m going to start capping people and I’m not even joking,” shouts Christina Hendricks in the first trailer for “Good Girls.” As threatening as her words are, the “Mad Men”...
Sonia Bonspille Boileau Wins Feature Film Award from Women In the Director’s Chair
Filmmaker Sonia Bonspille Boileau has won the 2017 Feature Film Award from Women In the Director’s Chair’s (WIDC), a professional development organization for female filmmakers in Canada. Given...
Misha Green to Write and Produce Reboot of Blaxploitation Film “Cleopatra Jones”
Misha Green has lined up yet another project. The “Underground” co-creator will write and produce a new “Cleopatra Jones” film for Warner Bros., Deadline confirms. 1973’s “Cleopatra...
Weekly Update for December 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Shape of Water” Films About Women Opening This Week The Shape of Water — Co-Written by Vanessa Taylor (Opens in NY; Opens in LA December 8) Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute, isolated...
Rashida Jones and Kerry Washington Join Forces for “Goldie Vance” Adaptation
Angie Tribeca and Olivia Pope are teaming up. Rashida Jones and Kerry Washington are set to collaborate on an adaptation of “Goldie Vance” for 20th Century Fox, Variety reports. The former will...
“The Girl on the Train” Is Coming to the Stage
“The Girl on the Train” has already sold over 15 million copies and been adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt. Broadway World reports that Paula Hawkins’ literary sensation is now heading...
Jenny Slate Is Writing a Book of Feminist Fables
Who doesn’t want to be Jenny Slate’s BFF? If you’re delighted by the “Landline” actress’ stories about going to astronomy class high and faking illnesses to get attention as a middle...
Allison Janney Named Honorary Chair of 2018 Women’s Voices Theater Festival
Allison Janney is adding another gig to her jam-packed résumé. The multiple Emmy award-winning actress will serve as the Honorary Chair of the 2018 Women’s Voices Theater Festival. According to...
“SMILF” Renewed for Season 2
This calls for a celebratory snack run. “SMILF” is getting a second season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Frankie Shaw’s Showtime comedy centers on young single mother Bridgette (Shaw) and...
December 2017 Film Preview
“Pitch Perfect 3” As the end of the year approaches, a number of promising films are set to premiere and make your spirits bright. December starts off with a spate of exciting releases,...
TriStar TV’s Suzanne Patmore Gibbs Teases New Women-Centric Series, More “Good Girls Revolt”
Much like the main characters in “Good Girls Revolt,” Suzanne Patmore Gibbs is a feminist force. In an interview with Deadline, the TriStar TV exec vp of original series discussed a number of...
Liu Yifei to Star in Niki Caro’s Live-Action “Mulan”
“Mulan” has found its leading lady. Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, has booked the high-profile role, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. “The Zookeeper’s Wife” helmer Niki Caro is...
Trailer Watch: Rooney Mara Embarks on a Spiritual Journey in “Mary Magdalene”
Rooney Mara steps into Biblical times in the first trailer for “Mary Magdalene.” The film promises to tell “the untold story” behind one of Jesus’ most famous followers. We’re told the...
Christina Ricci & Judith Light to Star in Lifetime Film About First Undercover Female Journalist
Another project about Nellie Bly is in the works. Back in September we wrote that “Megan Leavey” actress Kate Mara is toplining a series in development about Bly, who is considered the...
“Lady Bird’s” Greta Gerwig Named Best Director by National Board of Review
Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut is moving full steam ahead into awards season. The National Board of Review (NBR) has named Gerwig Best Director for “Lady Bird,” Deadline reports. A...
Laurie Nunn’s Dramedy Series “Sex Education” Receives Order from Netflix
Sex ed might be disappearing from U.S. public schools but at least it’s alive and well on Netflix. According to Deadline, the streamer has ordered “Sex Education,” a dramedy series from Laurie...
Trailer Watch: Ruth Wilson Returns to Her Family Farm in Clio Barnard’s “Dark River”
A UK trailer has dropped for Clio Barnard’s Ruth Wilson-starrer “Dark River.” “I haven’t seen you for 15 years,” Joe (Mark Stanley, “Game of Thrones”) tells his sister Alice...
“Lady Bird” Makes Rotten Tomatoes Herstory as Best-Reviewed Movie Ever
“Lady Bird” has soared all the way into record books. Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut is officially Rotten Tomatoes’ best-reviewed film of all time, Indiewire confirms. The Saoirse...
Opioid Epidemic Drama from “Gotham” Writer-Producer Rebecca Cutter Headed to Starz
Rebecca Cutter is turning her gaze from the fictional world of Gotham to the very real opioid epidemic in Provincetown, MA. The writer-producer of Fox’s Batman prequel “Gotham” has a new show...
Ruth Ware’s “The Lying Game” Is Coming to TV
“The Lying Game” is heading to the small screen. Entertainment One (eOne) and The Gotham Group are teaming up for the adaptation of Ruth Ware’s New York Times-bestseller, Deadline reports. The...
Weekly Update for November 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” Films About Women Opening This Week Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Documentary) — Directed by Alexandra Dean (Opens in NY November 24) Austrian...
Pam Veasey Multigenerational Female Drama in the Works at TNT
A multigenerational female drama may be headed our way. TNT is developing “East of Jingletown,” a drama series from Pam Veasey (“CSI:NY,” “In Living Color”). The project follows “four...
Women Comprise 60% of Variety‘s 2017 Screenwriters to Watch List
Variety has announced the scribes selected for its 10 Screenwriters to Watch of 2017 and six of the writers are women. They include Liz Hannah (“The Post”), Maggie Betts (“Novitiate”), and...
Indie Spirit Award Nominations: “Lady Bird,” “The Rider,” and More
The 2018 Independent Spirit Award nominations are in. Two of five Best Feature nominees are women-directed: Greta Gerwig’s universally adored “Lady Bird,” a coming-of-age story about a...
Female-Led WWII Spy Thriller from Lydia Dean Pilcher and Sarah Megan Thomas in Development
Another female-led spy thriller is on the way, this one based on a true story. Set in WWII, the pic tells the story of spy recruiter Vera Atkins. The as-yet untitled project will be written by Sarah...
Marja-Lewis Ryan to Serve as Showrunner on Showtime’s “The L Word” Sequel
The upcoming “L Word” sequel has found a showrunner. According to Deadline, Marja-Lewis Ryan (“The Four-Faced Liar”) will be steering Showtime’s continuation of the beloved series....
Pascal Pictures Acquires Kat Wood’s Sci-Fi Spec “Envoy”
Amy Pascal has yet another promising project in the works. According to Deadline, Pascal Pictures nabbed the rights to Kat Wood’s sci-fi thriller spec “Envoy.” Described as being in the vein...
“Orange Is the New Black” Creator Jenji Kohan Signs Overall Deal with Netflix
Jenji Kohan is making it official with Netflix. The “Orange Is the New Black” creator has signed a multi-year overall deal with the streaming giant, Variety reports. Kohan’s female-led prison...
Viola Davis To Star in and Produce “I Almost Forgot About You”
Viola Davis is teaming up with the director of “Girls Trip.” The “How to Get Away with Murder” star will topline and produce an adaptation of Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel “I...
Trailer Watch: A Girl Becomes a Warrior to Save Her Dad in Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time”
“You can’t keep using your father’s disappearance as an excuse to act out,” Meg (Storm Reid) is told at school in a new trailer for Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” Rather than...
Weekly Update for November 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Mudbound” Films About Women Opening This Week The Breadwinner — Directed by Nora Twomey; Written by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis “The Breadwinner” Parvana (Saara Chaudry) is an...
Liz Hannah and Amy Pascal Developing Female Astronaut Miniseries for Amazon
Liz Hannah and Amy Pascal are teaming up again. The respective co-writer and producer of “The Post” are adapting Martha Ackmann’s non-fiction book “The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of...
Trailer Watch: Jesus Is Watching in Lena Waithe’s “The Chi”
Comprised mostly of snippets, the first trailer for “The Chi” doesn’t reveal much about the new Showtime series’ plot. We catch a peek of various characters and scenarios, ranging from a mom...
Jesmyn Ward Makes History and Wins Second National Book Award for “Sing, Unburied, Sing”
This year’s National Book Awards were dominated by women. Female writers took home prizes in three major categories: fiction, nonfiction, and young people’s literature. An event celebrating the...
Stana Katic-Led FBI Agent Drama Series “Absentia” Headed to Amazon
You’ll soon be able to stream “Absentia” via Amazon Prime. Having been originally released on Sony’s AXN channels earlier this fall, the thriller drama series starring “Castle” alumna...
“Girls Trip’s” Tiffany Haddish Has Two New Projects in the Works
Thanks to Tiffany Haddish, we’ll never look at grapefruits the same way. The hilarious “Girls Trip” breakout is riding the momentum of the box office hit and is in talks to join New Line’s...
Whitney Cummings’ “The Female Brain” Snagged by IFC
Whitney Cummings’ directorial debut has secured distribution. IFC Films scored the U.S. and Canadian rights to “The Female Brain,” Variety reports. Based on Louann Brizendine’s bestselling...
“Wonder Woman 2” Release Gets Bumped Up, MGM Dates Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson Comedy
Diana Prince is returning sooner than expected. Originally scheduled to hit theaters December 13, 2019, “Wonder Woman 2” will now be released November 1, 2019, six weeks earlier than planned....
Joanna Quraishi Comedy About Woman Exploring Middle-Eastern Roots in Development at CBS
Joanna Quraishi has a new project in the works. Variety reports that CBS is developing a comedy from the “Kevin Can Wait” scribe. Currently untitled, the series would center on a “millennial...
Maria Bello and Jessica Goldberg Team Up for NBC Drama About Doctor on a Remote Island
Jessica Goldberg is switching gears from Meyerism to a medical drama. “The Path” creator has a new series in development at NBC, “Relief.” The project sees her teaming up with “NCIS”...
Apply Now: Women and Hollywood Internship
Women and Hollywood is looking for two interns for the first half of 2018. The positions will begin on January 2, 2018 and end on June 30, 2018. Applicants must be willing to commit to six months...
Theresa Rebeck on Bringing “What We’re Up Against” Back, Literally and Figuratively
At the end of “What We’re Up Against,” a female character looks straight out into the audience and asks, “Why is it still like this?” The irony is that Theresa Rebeck wrote the play back...
Weekly Update for November 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Films About Women Opening This Week Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder...
Could “Good Girls Revolt” Be Coming Back?
“Good Girls Revolt” might be getting a second life. The much-loved, short-lived series was cancelled nearly a year ago by Amazon after just one season, but Deadline reports, “Sony Pictures TV...