Women and Hollywood is on vacation this week. While our lights are out, we’ll be reposting our most popular posts of the summer.
I was going to tweet this up, but then I paused, because I think it is important to have these examples written out in more than 140 characters.
Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett are set to star in Truth based on the book Truth And Duty: The Press, The President, And The Privilege Of Power written by former CBS producer Mary Mapes. The book is based CBS scandal regarding whether George W. Bush received special privileges to get out of Vietnam and into the national guard. The upshot is that Dan Rather who was CBS’ lead anchor at the time was disgraced, and Mary Mapes who was his producer, lost her job. Blanchett will play Mapes and Redford will play Rather.
Writer James Vanderbilt will be making his directorial debut on the film. He will also adapt Mapes’ memoir. Vanderbilt has written The Amazing Spiderman 1 and 2 as well as White House Down and Zodiac. HE HAS NO DIRECTING EXPERIENCE. (See earlier piece — The Unbelievable Privilege of Being a Male Director.)
To say that this will be a high profile film is an understatement. Deadline reports that they are eyeing a fall start, and with such high profile actors like Redford and Blanchett attached, the film will undoubtedly get awards attention.
The question this raises is, would a female writer be given this kind of opportunity?