News & Articles – Adoring Jessica Chastain

Thriller “The 355” Moves Back a Year

Universal’s “The 355,” a female-led heist thriller starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o and Diane Kruger, has pushed its release date back a year.

The movie was initially set to open in theaters on Jan. 15, 2021, and will now debut on Jan. 14, 2022.

Simon Kinberg directed “The 355” from a script he wrote with Theresa Rebeck. The globe-trotting espionage thriller follows a group of international spies — a brigade that also includes Penelope Cruz and Fan Bingbing — who team up to stop a potentially world-altering event. Together, the five women form a faction called “355,” a nod to the assembly of female spies that united during the American Revolution. Edgar Ramirez and Sebastian Stan round out the cast.

Universal Pictures nabbed “The 355” after it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. The studio reportedly paid more than $20 million for domestic distribution rights.

Like every Hollywood studio, Universal has been forced to shake up the release calendar numerous times during the pandemic.

Source: Variety.com

Why Jessica Chastain Founded Freckle Films and Made “The 355” – Variety: Power of Women

When Jessica Chastain received the MVP Award at the 2015 Critics Choice Awards for her performance in “Interstellar,” she spoke up about the lack of roles and stories for women across the industry. During a press conference following her speech, the actor-producer was asked, “What are your plans now on creating inclusivity?” That sparked the idea of founding her production company, Freckle Films.

“I went ‘well, okay, here I go. I need to put my money where my mouth is, and I need to start creating a company that will offer some opportunities for women and also highlight the stories that perhaps have been unheard and invisible,’” she said during a Variety Power of Women: Conversations event, presented by Lifetime and moderated by Kate Aurthur.

Last year, her company produced its first feature film, “The 355,” (now slated to debut in January 2021) that boasts actors including Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Chastain.

The project was first introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, when Chastain found herself surrounded by action film posters featuring all-male ensembles. She looked around and said to her manager, “I have longed to work with other actresses. There’s so many people that I admire, but it feels like the industry doesn’t want us in a room together. Why do they never make stories with a group of women?”

So when casting “The 355,” Chastain put together a wish list of women actors she had hoped to collaborate with. “Everyone that I had asked to be a part of it were excited to be a part of it,” she said. “I said ‘the only thing is if you say yes, you’re the owner of the film which means you have to come to Cannes to sell the film’ — and they did.”

Kelly Carmichael, president of production at Freckle Films, explained that the creative process focused on providing opportunities for women actors to build characters they were interested in portraying in a spy film.

“Penélope Cruz, for example, had mentioned to us that she often had gotten stereotyped as this feisty Latina woman, and she wanted to play something else that showed another side of her personality that we haven’t seen her explore on screen,” added Chastain, pointing out that it was important for them to push against such typecasting practices.

Looking to the future, Chastain and Carmichael believe there are many more stories to tell with women actors and creatives. Reflecting on her initiative to produce movies, Chastain encouraged others to act toward the changes they hope to see: “You need to empower yourself, and you need to ask yourself what you can do in any industry. If you feel like there are injustice or there are flaws in a system you’re working in, change it; do what you can. Start making changes and people will follow.”

Source: Variety.com

Mothers’ Instinct News & Articles

Jessica Chastain & Anne Hathaway to star in Thriller “Mothers’ Instinct” about rival 1960’s Housewives

Euro financier Anton is launching sales on buzzy AFM package Mothers’ Instinct, which will star Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain and Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway as 1960’s housewives whose relationship takes a dark turn.

The psychological thriller will follow best friends and neighbors Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway) who both live an idyllic traditional lifestyle with manicured lawns, successful husbands and sons of the same age. Life’s perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond and a psychological battle of wills begins as the maternal instinct reveals its darker side.

Writer-director Olivier Masset-Depasse will helm the feature, which is an English-language remake of his 2018 Belgian movie Duelles, which won a record nine Magritte Awards from the Belgian Academy including Best Film and Best Director.

The film is based on the novel Derrière La Haine by novelist Barbara Abel. Writer Sarah Conradt (50 States of Fright) is adapting the English-language script.

Pic is being produced by Jessica Chastain and Kelly Carmichael of Chastain’s Freckle Films (The 355), and Paul Nelson at Mosaic and Jacques-Henri Bronckart (The Nun).

CAA Media Finance arranged the film’s financing and is representing the project’s domestic rights alongside Anton. Producer and financier Anton will fully finance and executive-produce the project with Anton’s founder and CEO Sébastien Raybaud overseeing the project with John Zois, Anton’s EVP Acquisitions and Co-Productions, who negotiated the deal with CAA.

Anton’s President of International Production and Distribution, Cecile Gaget, will oversee worldwide sales at the online AFM.

Writer and director Masset-Depasse (Illegal) stated: “It takes actors of Jessica and Anne’s caliber to communicate the intricacy of these two roles. The relationship between a mother and child is the most powerful connection between two human beings. When this bond is severed, it calls into question conventional morality and even sanity. In the behind-closed-doors atmosphere of 1960’s America, Mothers’ Instinct becomes a terrifying, high-pressure powder keg.”

Anton Founder and CEO, Sébastien Raybaud commented: “Audiences could not wish for a more dynamic match-up on screen. Both character roles are wonderfully complex and will showcase Jessica and Anne’s incredible breadth of talent. Olivier has already proven adept at this twist on the Hitchcockian genre and we have great faith in his ability to deliver a compelling thriller.”

Chastain recently began production opposite Oscar Isaac on Scenes From A Marriage, an adaption of Ingmar Bergman’s 1970s miniseries for HBO. She recently wrapped The Eyes Of Tammy Faye and The Forgiven.

Hathaway can currently be seen in Robert Zemeckis’ update of The Witches and upcoming has Sesame Street and Lockdown.

Hathaway is repped by CAA, Suzan Bymel at Management 360, and by Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Chastain is represented by CAA, Paul Nelson at Mosaic, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman, and Imprint PR.

Source: Deadline.com

News & Articles Scenes From A Marriage

Jessica Chastain Re-Teams With Oscar Isaac In HBO Series “Scenes From A Marriage”

Jessica Chastain will reunite with Oscar Isaac to star in Scenes From A Marriage, the HBO limited series adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s miniseries. Deal came together after Michelle Williams exited the lead female role over scheduling issues. Limited series comes from Our Boys and The Affair co-creator Hagai Levi, Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res and Endeavor Content.

Levi is writing and directing a series adaptation that re-examines the show’s iconic depiction of love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple, played by Isaac and Chastain. Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed the original 1973 Swedish miniseries, which starred Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. Bergman’s teleplay, the story of the disintegration of a marriage, drew on his own experiences, including his relationship with Ullmann.

Levi executive produces with Ellenberg via Media Res, Lars Blomgren (The Bridge), Isaac, Daniel Bergman, Blair Breard and Amy Herzog. The series is a co-production with Media Res and Endeavor Content, and Isaac and Chastain are also exec producers.

The deal reunites Chastain with Isaac. Classmates at Julliard and longtime friends, they starred together in 2014’s A Most Violent Year. Shooting will begin soon.

Source: Deadline.com

News & Articles

Jessica Chastain Joins CMT Awards as Presenter

Jessica joins the CMT Music Awards as a presenter alongside other celebrities including Brandi Carlile, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Tanya Tucker, Kelly Clarkson, Idina Menzel, Diplo and Rob Thomas. Also Taylor Swift, Ashley McBryde, Kane Brown and Sarah Hyland.

The host and presenter announcements closely follow CMT’s final reveal of performers who’ll appear on the show.

The show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 pm. CT on CMT.

Source: Variety.com

News & Articles The 355

EW’s New York Comic Con 2020 panels to feature women of The 355

It’s a weird year for in-person events, so New York Comic Con 2020 is pushing ahead with a schedule of all virtual panels about the most interesting projects in movies, TV, and (of course) comics. EW will be covering the highlights from this year’s program, but on top of that, we’ll also be involved in the proceedings. EW is teaming up with ReedPop for three panels next weekend covering The Walking Dead, Black horror, and female spies.

The panel for “The 355” will take place on October 10 at 7:50 pm ET. EW staff writer Devan Coggan sits down with the female stars of the upcoming Universal spy thriller The 355 — Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, and Fan BingBing — to discuss filming explosive fight scenes and undercover espionage.

NYCC 2020 will livestream on YouTube from Oct. 8-11. Check out the full list of panels.

Source: EW.com

News & Articles

Jessica Chastain Is Country Icon

Jessica Chastain is warming up her vocals for a rare TV gig: The film actress will star in Spectrum Originals’ limited series George & Tammy as the first lady of country music, Tammy Wynette.

The drama chronicles “the country music power couple, Wynette and George Jones, whose complicated relationship inspired some of the most iconic music of all time,” per the official synopsis.

Chastain — who will also serve as an exec producer on the series — is known for her work in movies like Zero Dark Thirty and Interstellar. She has also had small TV roles on Veronica Mars, Law & Order: Trial by Jury and The WB’s unaired Dark Shadows pilot.

Source: Tvline.com

News & Articles

Jessica Chastain on Navigating Hollywood’s New Normal

After an almost five-month hiatus, many Hollywood productions are now starting to resume again after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. But life on set doesn’t look how it used to: With social distancing measures and strict testing procedures in place, Hollywood’s new normal is about ensuring the cast and crew’s safety while maintaining the collaborative spirit of a film production.

Jessica Chastain has recently returned to set to shoot additional scenes for her upcoming spy thriller 355, in which she plays a CIA agent. The film, which is slated to be released in January 2021, is directed by Simon Kinberg and also stars Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz, and Lupita Nyong’ o.

Production for the film in London restarted a couple of weeks ago. Though the additional scenes only required a few days of shooting, Chastain says going back to set proved to be a whole new experience. “We had a lot of protocol and protection to make sure that everyone going back to work would go home just as safe as they were when they arrived,” she says. (She has since returned to the East Coast, where she is currently quarantining with her grandmother: “My grandma and I work out together. We do this thing called Torch’d every morning.”)

Safety protocols began well before they even picked up shooting. “A month before traveling [to London], I started taking COVID tests—Universal started sending them to all of us,” she says. “We had a month of tests that were negative before we ever flew to the U.K. through LetsGetChecked, which was super easy.” (LetsGetChecked is currently the only FDA-approved at-home COVID-19 test that incorporates a nasal swab and has an out-of-pocket cost of $119; the supply of free universal testing in the U.S., meanwhile, continues to experience shortages.)

Once Chastain arrived in the U.K., further testing was done every morning before heading to set—and extra precautions were taken once on location as well, such as getting temperatures checked and everyone wearing masks. “Once we got on set, we were in quarantine bubbles,” she says. “Everyone was in different zones.” At night, everyone involved in the project would also answer an email form asking them about symptoms, and they would be assessed as safe to show up for work the following day or not.

Despite all the steps taken to ensure Hollywood sets are safe environments, certain aspects of being on location make staying six feet apart from each other unavoidable. For one, the hair, makeup, and wardrobe teams must get up close to the actors to do their jobs. “The hair and makeup trailer was a whole new experience,” Chastain says. “They did a great job keeping everyone safe and minimizing the time that a bunch of people are together in a small space.” There’s also the question of acting once the cameras start rolling; actors must interact with each other, touch each other—all without masks. But there were plans for that too, says Chastain. “With all the other actors that I was getting within six feet from, we were all quarantined together,” she says. “I felt very comfortable that we weren’t going to pass anything to each other.” During filming, many of the crew were also put in a separate room to watch scenes from a monitor.

Chastain says dealing with Hollywood’s new normal has been a learning curve, but that it wasn’t as scary or intimidating as she thought it would be. “I feel hopeful and excited about it,” she says. “Film productions become so huge—a lot of film is so much about spectacle. I’m excited to see it become, in some aspects, more intimate. I’m hearing from studios that they’re looking more at plays and developing films where it’s just two people in a room talking. A lot of the great films from the ’70s were about that—great dialogue between actors.”

Source: Vogue.com

News & Articles Productions

Jessica Chastain to Produce Series Adaptation of Alice Feeney Novel “His & Hers”

Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films, Kristen Campo, and Endeavor Content have acquired the television rights for Alice Feeney’s new novel “His & Hers.”

The novel tells the story of DCI Jack Harper and BBC newsreader Anna Andrews, whose paths cross for the first time following their divorce when a woman is found murdered in their hometown. Anna is reluctant to cover the case and Jack becomes suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Chastain and Kelly Carmichael will executive produce for Freckle Films, with Campo also serving as executive producer. No network or streaming service is currently attached.

This marks the second time one of Feeney’s novels has been optioned for television. Her debut work, “Sometimes I Lie,” is currently in development at Fox with producers Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. Television and with Sarah Michelle Gellar attached to star.

“The last three years have been such a wonderful whirlwind and I’m still pinching myself,” Feeney said. “I’m so thrilled to be working with Jessica Chastain, Kristen Campo, and the team at Endeavor Content. I love what they have planned for ‘His & Hers,’ and I can’t wait to see Anna Andrews and Jack Harper brought to life on screen.”

Freckle Films is currently in post-production on the film “355,” a spy thriller based on an original idea by Chastain with the Oscar nominee also starring. The company is also producing Chastain’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” based on the documentary of the same name. Other projects include “The Division” at Netflix and a series in development at ITV and Sony Television.

Campo’s recent producing credits include “The L Word: Generation Q” at Showtime and the Apple dramas “See” and “Truth Be Told.”

The book rights were repped by ICM Partners, as well as Luke Speed of Curtis Brown on behalf of Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown. Freckle Films is repped by CAA. Campo is repped by WME.

Source: Variety.com

A Doll's House News & Articles Theater

West End Productions Starring Jessica Chastain And Emilia Clarke Have Been Postponed

An Emilia Clarke-fronted production of “The Seagull” and the Jessica Chastain-starring “A Doll’s House” have been postponed, though both actors are to return for rescheduled dates.

Producer The Jamie Lloyd Company — a partnership between Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and artistic director Jamie Lloyd — revealed Thursday that due to the ongoing lockdown for all U.K. theater venues, Anya Reiss’ adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull“ and Frank McGuinness’s version of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” are now postponed indefinitely.

“The Seagull” was slated to run at the Playhouse Theatre from March 11 to May 30, while “A Doll’s House” was also scheduled at the Playhouse from June 10 to Sep. 5.

The Jamie Lloyd Company has said, however, that when the season reopens, Clarke will reprise her role as Nina, while Chastain has also committed to lead “A Doll’s House.”

The U.K.’s theater sector has been decimated by the coronavirus lockdown, and all venues across the country have now been shuttered for 11 weeks. The government has said the sector will be among the last to restart, with a target of July 4 set to begin reopening venues.

Lloyd said of the postponements of “The Seagull” and “A Doll’s House”: “This is, of course, an incredibly challenging time for everyone, but we are looking forward to presenting our season to audiences in the future. I’m thrilled that Emilia Clarke and Jessica Chastain will lead ‘The Seagull’ and ‘A Doll’s House’ as soon as we can get back into the theater.

Source: Variety.com