Emilia Jones, known for playing the lead in “CODA,” is taking the lead in “Winner,” a darkly comedic biopic based on whistleblower Reality Winner. Directed by Susanna Fogel, the writer of “Booksmart,” and the writer/director of “The Spy Who Dumped Me” (2018), Connie Britton has been cast to play Reality’s mother, and Zach Galifianakis as Reality’s father. Danny Ramirez and Kathryn Newton also will star.
After exposing Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Reality Winner was sentenced to five and a half years in prison — the longest sentence ever given to someone charged under the Espionage Act — for leaking a government document.
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The story follows Winner (Jones), a brilliant young misfit from Texas who finds her morals challenged while serving in the U.S. Air Force and working as an NSA contractor. According to Deadline, the film will offer a fresh take on the traditional whistleblower thriller; the coming-of-age story follows an idealistic young woman persecuted for standing by her principles.
The film is written by Kerry Howley and Fogel and based on Howley’s 2017 New York Magazine feature titled, ‘The World’s Biggest Terrorist Has a Pikachu Bedspread.’
“As a filmmaker, I strive to tell stories that interrogate the world we live in and the systems that are broken in it. But in a fun way. Reality Winner is the perfect heroine for a film that meditates on ideas of personal power, morality, and finding your voice,” Fogel said in a statement. “She’s a true individual: she speaks many languages, she loves her guns, she could destroy you on Twitter, and her obsession with Pikachu is unmatched. She’s the perfect mouthpiece for a generation of people who are unique and fed up with feeling powerless. And there is no one more perfect to play her than Emilia Jones, one of the most exciting young actresses working today. I hope Reality’s story will inspire others to speak up and defend their beliefs, whatever the cost. I’m thrilled to partner with this team of artists and activists to bring this movie to life.”
No word when the film will shoot, but that’s a pretty great package of a cast and filmmaker.