Women and Hollywood's Weekly Newsletter
February 7
NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s (“Wadjda”) latest feature, “Unidentified,” - currently in post-production - has secured distribution, with Sony Pictures Classics snapping up the North American rights, along with most other markets. The film sees newly divorced true crime aficionado Noelle Al Saffan racing against time to solve the mystery of a teenage girl’s lifeless body discovered in the desert. Actress Mila Al Zahrani reteams with her “The Perfect Candidate” director, who also co-wrote the script with Brad Niemann.
The hottest TV news this week is the announcement that a “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” reboot is in the works, nearing a pilot order from Hulu - and Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) is set to direct. The new project would see Sarah Michelle Gellar reprise her role as the titular Buffy Summers, with the actress recently taking to social media to weigh in on how the revival came about. 20th Television, home of the original series, and Disney sibling Searchlight TV - where Zhao has a first look deal - are behind the new project, with Gellar and Zhao among the exec producers. Nora and Lilla Zuckerman wrote the pilot.
With the European Film Market (EFM) set to begin next week, the pre-sales news has been coming through thick and fast. Deadline exclusively revealed details around actor Antonia Campbell-Hughes’s sophomore feature as a director, thriller “Diamond Shitter,” which unfolds against the affluent expat community in Geneva - Campbell-Hughes penned the script and will also play a supporting role, joined by a cast that includes Eva Green and Ben Whishaw. Currently in pre-production, principal photography is due to take place in Switzerland and Ireland.
All synopses are courtesy of press materials, unless otherwise noted.
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN AND NON-GENDERED PERSONS OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – Written by Helen Fielding, Abi Morgan, and Dan Mazer (Available on Peacock, and in U.K and Ireland theaters, February 13)
Renée Zellweger returns to the role that established a romantic-comedy heroine for the ages, a woman whose inimitable approach to life and love redefined an entire film genre.