Elizabeth Chomko’s feature debut has found a home. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Bleecker Street snagged the North American rights to “What They Had,” a family drama toplined by Hilary Swank. Blythe Danner, Michael Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”), Taissa Farmiga (“American Horror Story”), and Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”) co-star in the film, which recently wrapped in Chicago and LA.
Revolving around a family in crisis, “What They Had” sees Bridget (Swank) returning home to Chicago after her brother pressures her to “deal with her mother’s (Danner) Alzheimer’s and her father’s (Forster) reluctance to let go of their life together,” THR summarizes. Chomko penned the script, which won her a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.
“I was incredibly moved by Elizabeth’s story of a family working through their collective issues and the heartache of dealing with a loved one affected by Alzheimer’s,” Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen commented. “We know audiences will relate to the characters’ love, compassion, and humor in dealing with each other.”
Chomko added, “Making this film has been a true labor of love for me, my creative team, and the magnificent cast. I could not be more delighted to include Bleecker Street among our family and have this film be part of theirs.”
Bleecker Street is planning a theatrical release for 2018.
Swank is among the project’s executive producers. Her recent credits include “You’re Not You” and “The Homesman.” The two-time Oscar winner — who took home awards for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Boys Don’t Cry” — has previously spoken out about the gender pay gap that persists in the film industry, noting “My male counterpart will get paid 10 times more than me — 10 times. Not double, but 10 times for the same job.” She explained, “Both [women and men] are compelling, interesting, diverse, [and] wonderful in all their own separate ways. And yet there’s an influx of male roles and there’s just not for women.”
Chomko is an actress whose credits include “The Mentalist,” “Common Law,” and “Terriers.”
