With the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice to take the place of the recently deceased Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the idea that Roe v. Wade (and the future of reproductive rights for women) could be overturned is a real possibility. And that means there couldn’t be a better time for a film like “Call Jane.”
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According to Deadline, Phyllis Nagy is set to direct a new film, “Call Jane,” her first since 2005’s “Mrs. Harris.” The new feature is set to star Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, and Rupert Friend in a film that tackles the issue of abortion in a period drama about a woman finding her own power amongst other women.
“Call Jane” tells the story of a 1960s housewife (Banks) that unexpectedly becomes pregnant. She then is linked up with an underground group, dubbed Janes, led by Virginia (Weaver) that helps her out of her situation and find new meaning in her life. As mentioned, Nagy is directing the feature, which is based on a Blacklist script written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi.
“‘Call Jane’ was made for these times – and I have never felt more passionately that our culture is ready to embrace its call for decency, for community, for good will and humor in all things – and above all, its call for necessary change,” said Nagy.
Producer Robbie Brenner (“The Dallas Buyers Club”) added, “As a woman and a mother of two girls, I feel like the time is now and the moment essential to bring a film like ‘Call Jane’ into the world. With such cultural uncertainty and when so many of our rights as women are under siege, I know that telling this important story couldn’t be more timely or necessary, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to collaborate with such an extraordinary group of creative and strong women at the helm.”
Nagy is probably best known for earning an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay for her 2015 film, “Carol.” Since then, Nagy has been fairly quiet in regards to film, so it’s nice to see her come back with a new project led by an incredible cast. It’s unclear when we might see “Call Jane” arrive in theaters (or streaming), but with the way our politics are headed in the United States, this is a film that needs to be seen sooner rather than later.