#Women Writers
Michaela Coel to Star in and Write Drama About Sexual Consent for BBC
Best known for “Chewing Gum,” an E4 comedy about a religious and reluctant virgin, Michaela Coel is set to tell another story with sexuality at the forefront, though this one more...
Under the Radar: Yoko Yamanaka’s “Amiko” Is A Raw Coming-of-Age Story
High schooler Amiko (Aira Sunohara) is in love. The object of her affections is Aomi (Hiroto Oshita), a cool, counterculture guy with whom she bonds over their shared love of Radiohead. Despite his...
Melissa Rosenberg and Kay Cannon Score TV Deals
“Jessica Jones” showrunner Melissa Rosenberg and “Blockers” director Kay Cannon have both inked deals with indie television studios. According to The Hollywood Reporter,...
Amma Asante’s “Where Hands Touch” Acquired by Vertical
Amma Asante’s latest has secured distribution in advance of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Deadline reports that Vertical Entertainment snagged North American...
Natalie Portman to Direct and Star as Twins in Pic About Ann Landers and Dear Abby Advice Columns
As an Oscar-winning actress with more than 20 years of experience in the industry and a directing credit under her belt, Natalie Portman has no doubt been asked for plenty of advice. She’s set...
Nicole Kidman Exec Producing TV Adaptation of Cecelia Ahern’s “Roar”
Nicole Kidman is working on yet another TV project. The “Big Little Lies” star and producer is already developing television adaptations of “The Expatriates,” “The Female...
Lillian Yu Sells Chinese Holiday-Themed Rom-Com Spec to New Line
Inclusivity sells. The success of “Crazy Rich Asians” has proven — yet again — that audiences aren’t only interested in stories about white men. The industry is taking...
Jodie Whittaker-Led “Doctor Who” Features Female Writer of Color For the First Time
Feminist Whovians can rejoice once more. The new “Doctor Who” — you know, the one that will finally feature a woman Doctor — has announced its writers and directors....
“GLOW” Renewed for Season 3
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are heading to Sin City. Netflix has finally renewed “GLOW” for a third season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Season 2’s finale concluded with...
Faye Ward’s Fable Pictures to Bring “Chocolate Wars” to TV, Smita Bhide Penning the Script
Get your candy bars ready: the story of the most delicious-sounding battle ever could be heading to the small screen. Faye Ward’s Fable Pictures has optioned Deborah Cadbury’s “The...
Rungano Nyoni’s “I Am Not a Witch” Is UK’s 2019 Foreign-Language Oscar Pick
“I Am Not a Witch” may be heading to the Academy Awards. Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature has been named as the UK’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Oscars,...
Adoption Drama from Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith Gets Put Pilot Order at Fox
“Life Sentence” didn’t receive a second season but that hasn’t slowed down its creators, Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith. Fox has given the duo a put pilot order for their...
Weekly Update for August 17: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Wife – Written by Jane Anderson (Opens in NY and LA) After nearly 40 years of marriage, Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce) are complements....
Constance Wu Holiday Horror Pic “All the Creatures Were Stirring” Secures VOD Release
In addition to being the first studio film with a predominantly Asian cast in 25 years, as well as a critical and (most likely) commercial success, “Crazy Rich Asians” just goes to show...
“Nashville” EPs Meredith Lavender & Marcie Ulin Have a New Music Drama in Development at NBC
Former “Nashville” scribes are working on bringing another story about a female musician to the small screen. Meredith Lavender and Marcie Ulin’s pitch for a one-hour drama scored a...
Sarah Jessica Parker-Starrer “Here and Now” Acquired
Sarah Jessica Parker’s showing off her vocal chops in “Here And Now.” The “Sex and the City” alumna plays a singer-songwriter in the pic, which just secured...
Writer to Watch: “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” Scribe Lindsey Beer
“Sierra Burgess Is A Loser” will mark Lindsey Beer’s first screenwriting credit. Set to debut on Netflix in September, the teen comedy stars “Strangers Things'” Shannon...
Jenny Bicks Inks Overall Deal with Lionsgate TV
Jenny Bicks has signed an overall deal with Lionsgate TV, Deadline reports. The new pact sees the Emmy winner developing and producing original series for the studio. Perhaps best known for her work...
“Anne With an E” Returning for a Third Season
Get ready to hear Anne spin another yarn. Prince Edward Island’s most beloved fictional resident is sticking around the small screen. Netflix and Canadian broadcaster CBC have renewed...
Meg Wolitzer and Jane Anderson on “The Wife’s” 14-Year Journey to the Screen
I read Meg Wolitzer’s “The Wife” about a decade ago, and it is one of those books that sticks with you. I was convinced it’d make a great movie — so much so that I...
Trailer Watch: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Is a Stand-Up With a Complicated Past in “All About Nina”
Mary Elizabeth Winstead takes center stage in a new trailer for “All About Nina.” The critically acclaimed dark comedy sees the “Fargo” alumna playing a stand-up comic....
Elizabeth Banks Will Star in & Produce Film About Wyoming Maid Who Won a Date with Prince
Elizabeth Banks is bringing one hell of an anecdote to the big screen. The director of the upcoming “Charlie’s Angels” reboot will star in Paramount Players’ adaptation of...
Trailer Watch: Viola Davis Plots a Heist in “Widows”
Viola Davis is left cleaning up her husband’s mess in a new trailer for “Widows.” Her late love died during a job turned bad, and now it’s up to her to figure out how to pay...
Trailer Watch: Maika Monroe Hears an Unusual Pickup Line in “After Everything”
Mia (Maika Monroe, “It Follows”) isn’t impressed when Elliot (Jeremy Allen White, “Shameless”) starts chatting her up at subway stop in the trailer for “After...
Orion Classics Acquires SXSW Winner “Jinn”
Orion Classics has snagged the North American and Latin American rights to Nijla Mu’min’s feature directorial debut. Deadline reports that the award-winning mother-daughter drama will open in...
Women Working in the Arts: August’s VOD and Web Series Picks
Although the arts industries pride themselves on being creatively enlightened, the #MeToo movement has shown they are hardly “safe” workplaces for women (or any other marginalized group)....
Filming Kicks Off on Niki Caro’s “Mulan”
Production has officially kicked off on Disney’s live-action “Mulan.” A press release announced the news. Set to shoot in New Zealand and China, the story about a Chinese warrior...
Weekly Update for August 10: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Crazy Rich Asians – Written by Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli (Opens August 15) “Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she...
Miranda Sings Netflix Comedy Special On the Way
Miranda Sings will return to Netflix. Colleen Ballinger’s character, the millennials’ answer to Florence Foster Jenkins, is getting her own Netflix special, Variety reports. The special will...
Actress Lynn Chen to Make Directorial Debut with “I Will Make You Mine”
Lynn Chen is set to helm the final installment of the Goh Nakamura film trilogy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress will direct her first feature, indie “I Will Make You...
Trailer Watch: Maggie Gyllenhaal Loses Her Grip in “The Kindergarten Teacher”
“Talent is so fragile. It’s so rare, and our culture does everything to crush it,” says Maggie Gyllenhaal in the first trailer for Sara Colangelo’s “The Kindergarten...
Ruby Rose Will Portray Lesbian Batwoman for The CW
The CW’s DC Universe is getting more and more inclusive. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, Ruby Rose will take on the role of superheroine Batwoman (aka Kate Kane), an out lesbian, in the...
Jennifer Lopez to Star in Lorene Scafaria’s “Hustlers”
Jenny from the Block is taking on the wolves of Wall Street. Variety confirms that Jennifer Lopez will topline “Hustlers,” a pic inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine...
Gal Gadot to Portray Hedy Lamarr in Showtime Series from Sarah Treem
Gal Gadot may play a real-life Wonder Woman. The box office heroine is reportedly near a deal to topline and executive produce a Showtime series about Hedy Lamarr. Best known for acting in titles...
Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga Will Topline Rebecca Hall’s Directorial Debut
Rebecca Hall is re-teaming with her “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” director Angela Robinson. The Golden Globe-nominated actress is set to make her directorial debut with...
“Sex and the City and Us” Author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on the Show’s Legacy
Jennifer Keishin Armstong has chronicled the history of TV shows in several books, including “Seinfeldia” and “Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted.” It seems almost perfect that...
Ursula Meier to Make English-Language Debut with “Quiet Land”
Ursula Meier is making a major mark at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. The fest just signed a gender parity pledge for which she’s credited as the Godmother, and now word comes that...
Watch: Gemma Arterton Auditions Felicity Jones & More for Humiliating “Leading Lady Parts”
“It’s not rocket science, darling,” a casting director tells Florence Pugh (“Lady Macbeth”) in short film “Leading Lady Parts.” “We’re just...
Sarah Gavron Filming Drama About Multi-Cultural Schoolgirls in London
“Suffragette” helmer Sarah Gavron is taking on another female-led story. The British filmmaker just kicked off principal photography for a drama about a British-Nigerian girl. Currently...
Weekly Update for August 3: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Miseducation of Cameron Post – Directed by Desiree Akhavan; Written by Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of...
“Never Goin’ Back” Writer-Director Augustine Frizzell on Her Love Letter to Female Friendship
“Never Goin’ Back” is a teen comedy, but not kind we’re used to seeing. Augustine Frizzell’s directorial debut doesn’t tell the familiar story of college-bound...
The Bonds Between Us: Crowdfunding Picks
Our entire lives are defined by relationships. From a young age, we are taught to identify ourselves relative to someone else; daughter, sister, partner, friend. And whether these bonds are defined...
HBO Developing Series Based on Colleen Scriven’s “Lesser Gods”
HBO is developing another project based on a podcast. The premium cable network has already taken Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson’s “2 Dope Queens” to the screen, and now...
Julia Ormond to Star in BBC One’s “Gold Digger”
Julia Ormond has nabbed the lead role in”Gold Digger,” a six-part drama for BBC One. Deadline confirmed the news. The Emmy winner will play a woman whose relationship with a much younger...
Aidy Bryant-Starrer “Shrill” Ordered to Series at Hulu
Hulu is taking notes from a loud woman. Variety reports that the streamer has given a six-episode series order to an adaptation of Lindy West’s 2016 memoir. Titled “Shrill: Notes from a...
Erin Cressida Wilson to Pen “Indecent Proposal” Remake
“The Girl on the Train” screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson has boarded a new project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she’s signed on to pen a remake of “Indecent...
Netflix Orders “Madam C.J. Walker,” Octavia Spencer to Star in the Limited Series
“Madam C.J. Walker” is headed to Netflix. The long-brewing Octavia Spencer limited series has received an eight-episode order from the streamer, Deadline confirms. The Oscar winner was...
August 2018 Film Preview
If you’re looking for a respite from the hot summer days, August is looking to be an excellent month for movies helmed by women or led by women characters. One of the most highly anticipated...
Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe Get Series Orders at Amazon
Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe both cleaned up at last year’s Emmys, have numerous TV projects on the horizon, and just scored series orders from Amazon. The Hollywood Reporter confirms the...
Weekly Update for July 27: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING THIS WEEK Snapshots – Directed by Melanie Mayron; Written by Jan Miller Corran and Katherine Cortez (Opens in LA) Three women. Three generations. Two summers. 50 years...
“Picnic at Hanging Rock” Showrunner Larysa Kondracki Inks First-Look Deal at Amazon
Larysa Kondracki is taking a big step in her relationship with Amazon Studios, Deadline reports. After serving as showrunner on Amazon’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and helming three...