Nisha Ganatra scored one of the biggest deals out of Sundance 2019 for “Late Night,” and the helmer will follow it up with another high profile project. She’s in negotiations to direct “Covers” for Universal and Working Title, Variety reports.
A romance set in the Los Angeles music scene, “Covers” is penned by first-time screenwriter Flora Greeson.
Universal recently accepted Time’s Up and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s 4% Challenge, a campaign encouraging studios, producers, actors, and others in the industry to commit to a woman-helmed project within the coming year and a half.
Penned by “Mindy Project” creator and star Mindy Kaling, “Late Night” tells the story of a late-night host (Emma Thompson) who hires her first female writer (Kaling). Amazon Studios snagged U.S. rights to the comedy for $13 million.
When we asked Ganatra what she’d like audiences to think about after seeing the film, she said, “I want them to be thinking about what the world would be like if women supported each other and helped each other when they are in a position of power. I want women to think about how to hold the door open behind you rather than slam it shut with some false sense of ‘making it’ being a zero-sum game,” she explained. “I want people to think about how easy it is to actually make your work environment inclusive — to not have endless meetings and committees on diversity but to just hire women and people of color. It’s that simple. Just do it quickly instead of talking about doing it forever and a day.”
Ganatra made her feature directorial debut with 1999’s “Chutney Popcorn,” a dramedy about a lesbian who offers to serve as a surrogate for her sister. “Better Things,” “Transparent,” and “Girls” are among her TV credits.
“Rafiki” writer-director Wanuri Kahiu was previously attached to direct “Covers.”
