After four years since New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor released the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal report, Hollywood is ready to tell the powerful story of how they persevered to break the truth to the world. According to Deadline, Universal Pictures is now prepping She Said, a drama based on the New York Times bestseller She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.
Negotiations with Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are in the works, pushing for them to star as Twohey and Kantor. The film is set to begin production this summer and will be directed by Maria Schrader, with Rebecca Lenkiewicz writing the script.
Last October 5, Kantor and Twohey revealed a long list of alleged sexual harassment and assaults against women by The Weinstein Company co-chairmen that dates back decades. The released article included specific details of hush money paid to cover up the indiscretions and first-person accounts by actresses accusing Weinstein of non-consensual sexual acts toward them. Weinstein was eventually fired by the TWC board and found guilty for the crimes, sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape. But the article also spearheaded the creation of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, which both continue to make significant impacts across the world and changed the Hollywood landscape forever.
However, the film isn’t centered around Weinstein or his scandal. It’s about a team of women journalists who persisted through threats of litigation and intimidation to break a life-altering story. Universal’s studio chair Donna Langley has been pushing for more female-fronted projects, and with all the female star power in front of and behind the camera, Universal moving forward with production aligns itself with Langley’s mission as studio head.
Though this will mark the first time Mulligan and Kazan appear on screen together, their partnership goes back to 2008 when the two co-starred in the Broadway production of The Seagull. She Said reunites the pair on their third project. With a star-studded, women-led team working on the production, the release of the film will surely create the kind of media buzz that’s worth talking about. Stay tuned for more news on She Said in the future!
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