Toni Collette’s stepping into a new role. The Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor is set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of “Writers and Lovers” for Topic Studios. A press release confirmed the news.
Based on Lily King’s 2020 New York Times bestseller of the same name, “Writers and Lovers” tells the story of Casey Peabody, an “underemployed, aspiring novelist in 1990s Boston whose world is rocked by a recent love affair and her mother’s sudden death. Her life becomes more complicated as she then falls for two very different men at the same time,” the film’s synopsis hints.
Collette and Nick Payne (“The Crown”) will pen the screenplay. She’s re-teaming with “Unbelievable” collaborators Susannah Grant and Sarah Timberman to produce the pic.
“I have been wanting to direct for quite some time but have been a bit busy with my day job,” Collette joked. “l couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing Lily King’s beautiful, funny, moving novel to filmic life. It’s an empowering story that speaks to me as a woman and an artist. It’s ultimately about coming to know and believe in oneself. This is not always an easy feat, but the most important journey any person can take. It inspires me on so many levels.”
Collette received an Oscar nod in 2000 for “The Sixth Sense.” Her recent film credits include “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” and “Knives Out.” The four-time Emmy nominee landed the prize for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for “United States of Tara.”
The “Unbelievable” star is currently filming “Pieces of Her,” an adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s 2018 best-selling novel. The Netflix series sees Collette playing a speech pathologist and mom with a secret past. Minkie Spiro, who received a DGA nom for her work on “Fosse/Verdon,” will direct the eight-episode dramatic thriller.
