“One interviewer told me they hired a woman last year and what in the world would they want with two of us?” an exasperated young Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) tells a mentor in the newest trailer for “On the Basis of Sex.” “You’re angry — good. Use it,” he advises.
And she does. Directed by Mimi Leder (“Deep Impact,” “The Leftovers”), “On the Basis of Sex” traces RBG’s early career, including a game-changing sex discrimination case. After looking into the 170 laws that differentiate on the basis of sex — and which prevent women from working overtime, applying for their own credit cards, working in mines, and much more — Ruth finds her smoking gun: a tax case that discriminated against a man because the law assumes caregivers are women.
By fighting sex-based discrimination against men, Ruth will be able to address gender equality for everyone. “I’m going to convince the courts that those laws are unconstitutional,” she vows.
“On the Basis of Sex” will make its world premiere November 8 as AFI Fest’s opening night film. Hitting theaters December 25, the biopic is written by Daniel Stiepleman, Bader Ginsburg’s nephew. The script made the Black List and the first ever Athena List.
Kathy Bates, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, and Sam Waterston co-star.
Ginsburg is the subject of another 2018 film, “RBG.” From Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the pic is the 22nd highest-grossing doc since 1982. It has earned over $14 million since opening in May.
A limited series about RBG and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is also the works. The project hails from Alyssa Milano’s Peace by Peace Productions and Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s PatMa Productions.
