Felicity Jones Set to Play Young Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Mimi Leder’s ‘On the Basis of Sex’
Oscar nominee and “Star Wars” heroine Felicity Jones is jumping back into prestige pictures with a hot property all about one of modern America’s most notable female leaders. Deadline reports that Jones will star as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Mimi Leder‘s “On the Basis of Sex,” based on Daniel Stiepleman’s Black List script of the same name.
Per the outlet, “the drama follows the travails of Ginsburg as she faced numerous obstacles to her fight for equal rights throughout her career.” It it set to shoot in Montreal in September. Stiepleman’s script was an entry on the 2014 Black List of most liked unproduced scripts.
Back in 2015, Natalie Portman was tapped to star in the film for Focus Features, and that version was set to be directed by “Diary of a Teenage Girl” helmer Marielle Heller, though she eventually moved away from the project. Back in February, it was reported by The Tracking Board that Portman had tapped Leder to direct the film, though that incarnation still had Portman set to star.
The film will mark Leder’s return to the big screen since 2009’s “Thick as Thieves,” though she’s still best known in the movie world for her blockbusters “Deep Impact” and “The Peacemaker.” In recent years, Leder has become one of television’s most reliable directors, thanks to turns on lauded series like “The Leftovers” and “Shameless,” though she initially got her start on shows like “China Beach” and “ER” (the latter of which she won two Emmys for).
Jones is in big demand these days, as she’s also set to star in Luca Guadagnino’s “Swan Lake” adaptation that recently spawned something of a bidding war between studios. Universal grabbed it earlier this month.
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
