Women Writers
Meg Gardiner’s “UNSUB” Being Developed as Series at CBS with Liz Friedman Writing
“UNSUB” hit shelves this June, and the crime story is already serving as inspiration for the small screen. CBS has bought a drama based on Meg Gardiner’s novel with Emmy nominee Liz Friedman...
Weekly Update for October 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” Films About Women Opening This Week M.F.A. — Directed by Natalia Leite; Written by Leah McKendrick (Also Available on VOD) “M.F.A.” An art...
Roswell Reboot in the Works at The CW, Carina Adly MacKenzie Penning the Script
Long before Shiri Appleby called the shots on a “Bachelor”-esque reality dating TV show on “UnREAL,” she played a teenage girl in a whirlwind romance of her own on “Roswell.” She...
Trailer Watch: Joan Didion Finds Her Voice in Netflix Doc “The Center Will Not Hold”
“My first notebook was given to me by my mother with the suggestion that I amuse myself by writing down my thoughts,” says Joan Didion in a new trailer for an upcoming Netflix documentary about...
Shonda Rhimes Being Inducted into TV Academy Hall of Fame
The woman who introduced the world to Meredith Grey, Olivia Pope, and Annalise Keating is being recognized alongside all-time TV greats. Shonda Rhimes has built an empire on the small screen, and...
Lake Bell and “New Girl” Creator Liz Meriwether Collaborating on Fox Comedy
Actress, writer, and director Lake Bell is teaming up with “New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether for a comedy series. According to Deadline, Fox has given a pilot production commitment to “Bless...
Trailer Watch: Jennifer Garner’s Family Falls Apart in “The Tribes of Palos Verdes”
A trailer for “The Tribes of Palos Verdes” kicks off with a toast — “to new beginnings, to us.” “It was always my father’s dream to move to California — that we could start a...
Trailer Watch: Bob Newhart and Don Rickles Have Nothing on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Not many people would head to a comedy club and perform a set after learning that their spouse has been having an affair and is leaving them. But, then again, not many people are as cool as Miriam...
Trailer Watch: Alien Elle Fanning Discovers Punk Music in “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”
The trailer for the 1977 London-set “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” begins with Enn (Alex Sharp, Marti Noxon’s “To the Bone”) and his friends attending a concert’s after-party. Hoping...
Keira Knightley to Topline Spy Drama Written by Camilla Blackett
Keira Knightley is joining the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Blake Lively, and Daisy Ridley, all of whom are playing spies in upcoming films. Variety reports that the two-time Oscar nominee has signed...
Trailer Watch: A Throuple Makes Comic Book History in “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women”
“I’m going to inject my ideas right into the thumping heart of America,” announces esteemed psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans, “Beauty and the Beast”) in a new trailer...
Trailer Watch: A Little Girl is Sent to a Witch Camp in Rungano Nyoni’s “I Am Not a Witch”
“Now it’s up to you whether to be a goat or a witch,” eight-year-old Shula (Margaret Mulubwa) is told in the first trailer for Rungano Nyoni’s “I Am Not a Witch.” Shula has been accused...
“Atypical” Creator Robia Rashid Signs New Overall Deal at Sony Pictures TV Studios
Robia Rashid is staying put. Deadline reports that the “Atypical” creator and executive producer has signed a new overall deal with the studio behind the Netflix coming-of-age series, Sony...
Weekly Update for October 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“The Florida Project” Films About Women Opening This Week The Florida Project Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, “The Florida Project” follows...
Drama Critic Lyn Gardner to Be Honored at UK Theatre Awards
Drama critic Lyn Gardner will receive the outstanding contribution to British theater prize at the upcoming UK Theatre Awards. According to The Stage, Gardner, who serves as The Guardian’s theater...
Vox Media to Launch “Divided States of Women” Series This Month, Liz Plank to Host
Vox Media is offering a platform for women to discuss issues that affect “every woman in America.” The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the company is launching “Divided States of Women,” a...
NBC Developing Legal Drama from Actress Maya Dunbar
Former “Banshee” star Maya Dunbar has sold a family legal drama to NBC, Deadline reports. The actress, whose credits include Ava DuVernay’s second feature “Middle of Nowhere,” “The...
Amanda Coe Bringing Famous UK Scandal to TV with “The Trial of Christine Keeler”
Television writer and novelist Amanda Coe’s next project will explore the UK’s notorious Profumo Affair. Per Deadline, the “Apple Tree Yard” writer-producer and Ecosse Films are bringing...
Liz Hannah to Write MGM’s 9/11 Air Force One Drama “Only Plane in the Sky”
Liz Hannah’s incredible breakout year just got even better. The screenwriter’s debut, “The Post,” bows December 22 and boasts Steven Spielberg as a director and stars Meryl Streep and Tom...
Lynn Shelton, Liz Tigelaar, Amy Pascal, & Elizabeth Cantillon Team Up for Hulu Comedy
Quite the dream team has assembled for a new Hulu project. According to Deadline, director Lynn Shelton (“Your Sister’s Sister”), “Casual” EP/showrunner Liz Tigelaar, and producers Amy...
Regina Hicks’ “Black Don’t Crack” Snagged by ABC, Viola Davis to Exec Produce
A new comedy from “Insecure” writer and co-executive producer Regina Hicks has sold to ABC, Deadline reports. The multi-camera show about old friends counts Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis...
Daisy Ridley to Star in “Daddio”
Daisy Ridley’s heading from a galaxy far, far away to New York City. The “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” star has signed on to topline “Daddio,” a spec project penned by Christy Hall....
Dee Rees’ Next Film “Uncivil War” Will Tell Story of the Equal Rights Amendment
Dee Rees is on a roll. Less than a week after news surfaced that the “Pariah” director would helm an adaptation of a Joan Didion’s “The Last Thing He Wanted,” Deadline has confirmed that...
Quvenzhané Wallis Adds Author to Her Résumé
Quvenzhané Wallis holds the record for the youngest-ever Best Actress Oscar nominee, and now she’s making her mark on another medium. The 14-year-old “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and...
Tracy Oliver Writing New “First Wives Club” TV Reboot
Tracy Oliver struck box office gold with “Girls Trip,” and now the screenwriter is tackling a project for the small screen. Deadline reports that she’s signed on to pen a half-hour series...
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s “Let the Corpses Tan” Acquired by Kino Lorber
“Let the Corpses Tan” has found a home weeks after screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Variety reports that Kino Lorber snagged North American rights to the neo-Western,...
Tribeca’s First-Ever TV Festival Reflected Changing Tides for Women in TV
At least some women directors working on the small screen have packed slates. That good news came out at Tribeca’s first-ever, TV-only festival that ran from September 22–24 in New York City....
Weekly Update for September 29: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Te Ata”: The Chickasaw Nation Films About Women Opening This Week Te Ata — Written by Esther Luttrell (Opens in Oklahoma; Opens October 13 in NY and LA) “Te Ata” (TAY’ AH-TAH) is...
October 2017 Film Preview
“Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman” What better time than fall to head to the theater to avoid the last of the summer heat, or escape the chill in the air by curling up at home with popcorn...
Diablo Cody and Emily Silver Collaborating on New Cop Drama for Fox
Just over a week ago Diablo Cody signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, and now comes word that the Oscar winner has a new project in the works at Fox. Variety reports that the...
Roya Sadat’s “A Letter to the President” Is Afghanistan’s Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
Roya Sadat is joining the foreign-language Oscar race. Afghanistan has submitted her feature debut, “A Letter to the President,” as its pick for the upcoming ceremony, The Hollywood Reporter...
Apply Now for the 2018 Fox Writers Lab
Calling on up-and-coming TV writers: applications for the 2018 Fox Writers Lab (FWL) are now being accepted. The goal of the Lab is to build “a strong pipeline of well-rounded talent for potential...
Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams-Starrer “Disobedience” Acquired by Bleecker Street
“Disobedience” has found a home following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival a few weeks back. Deadline reports that Bleecker Street snagged the U.S. distribution...
Julie Taymor to Adapt Gloria Steinem’s Memoir
In what sounds like fan fiction dreamed up by feminist film lovers, word has come that Gloria Steinem’s memoir, “My Life on the Road,” is being adapted for the big screen. And Julie Taymor and...
Dee Rees to Direct Film Adaptation of Joan Didion’s “The Last Thing He Wanted”
Dee Rees has lined up her next project before her latest has even hit theaters. Since its debut at Sundance, “Mudbound” has been earning rave reviews and causing plenty of Oscar buzz. Rees will...
Author Erin Carlson on Her New Book “I’ll Have What She’s Having” and the Legacy of Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron died in 2012, at the age of 71, but she left an indelible mark on the world as one of the most influential voices of our time. She left behind a strong legacy and continues to inspire...
Julie Dash to Direct Biopic of Rosa Parks
Writer-director Julie Dash made history with 1991’s “Daughters of the Dust,” the first feature directed by an African-American woman to be distributed theatrically in the U.S. Now she’s...
Fox Snags Legal Dramedy from “Guilt” Creators Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard
“Guilt” creators Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard have scored a script commitment plus penalty from Fox for their new project, “One Call That’s All.” Deadline writes that the network...
Nominate Women-Written TV Scripts for WeForShe’s 2018 WriteHer List
WeForShe is now accepting nominations for the 2018 WriteHer List. Part of WeForShe’s overall mission to “improve the numbers of female storytellers employed in the industry,” the WriteHer List...
“Pretty Little Liars” Spinoff on the Way, Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish to Star
We haven’t seen the last of Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal just yet. The reformed Rosewood mean girls are leading an expansion of the “Pretty Little Liars” universe. According to...
Annie Proulx to Receive National Book Award for Lifetime Achievement
Annie Proulx is adding yet another major accomplishment to her storied CV. The Pulitzer and PEN/Faulkner award-winning author will be presented with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for...
Singapore Selects Kirsten Tan’s “Pop Aye” for Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
“Pop Aye” will be representing Singapore in the 2018 foreign-language Oscar race, Variety reports. Written and directed by Kirsten Tan, the award-winning drama is set in Thailand and centers on...
Black Panther Leader Elaine Brown’s Memoir to Be Adapted for the Screen
The story of Elaine Brown, the only woman to serve as a Black Panther Party leader, is coming to the big screen. The Firm has obtained the rights to Brown’s 1992 memoir, “A Taste of Power: A...
Trailer Watch: The Bellas Embark on a Farewell Tour in “Pitch Perfect 3”
Post-college life can be tricky. Just ask former Barden Bellas Beca, Chloe, Fat Amy, and Aubrey. They show up to an a cappella event expecting to perform with the current Bellas and are humiliated...
Trailer Watch: Rebecca’s on the Warpath in Season 3 of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
Rebecca Bunch has never been one for subtlety, and it looks like Season 3 of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” will see its anti-heroine really embrace the “crazy” part of her moniker like never before....
Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino Sign Overall Deal with Amazon Studios
Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino are making themselves at home at Amazon Studios. Deadline reports that the creative partners/spouses have signed a multi-year overall deal with the...
Watch: A Newly Single Bisexual Woman Goes Off-Script in Exclusive Clip of “Strangers”
The presence of a film crew doesn’t deter a woman from spilling her guts to a love interest in our exclusive new clip of “Strangers.” Created and directed by Mia Lidofsky, the series follows...
Lauren Gunderson Tops American Theatre’s Most-Produced Playwrights List
“I and You” scribe Lauren Gunderson is the most-produced playwright in the United States, American Theatre confirms. The publication has put out the 2017–2018 edition of its annual ranking and...
“Being Mary Jane” Showrunner Erica Shelton Kodish Inks Overall Deal with CBS TV Studios
Erica Shelton Kodish is heading back to CBS. The “Good Wife” alumna has signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios after serving as showrunner on the fourth season of BET’s “Being...
Playwright Lauren Yee Wins the Kesselring Prize
Lauren Yee’s adding another highlight to her 2017 reel. Earlier this year the playwright debuted “In a Word” Off Broadway to rave reviews, and now she’s been named as the winner of the...
Weekly Update for September 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Battle of the Sexes”: Melinda Sue Gordon/20th Century Fox Films About Women Opening This Week Battle of the Sexes — Co-Directed by Valerie Faris In the wake of the sexual revolution and...