Tag Archives: Kelly Reichardt

Kristen Stewart Reportedly Joining James Franco In Transgender Biopic ‘JT Leroy’

Its being reported that Kristen Stewart is in talks to join James Franco in Hollywood-based transgender biopic JT Leroy.

Director Justin Kelly – who previously worked with Franco on 2015 movie I Am Michael – will take on the film from a script he wrote.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that as well as Stewart and Franco, Helena Bonham Carter will also appear in the movie.

The film will look at the story of JT Leroy, a writer who exploded onto the literary scene in 2000 with the novel Sarah; the story of a young boy, living a transient and deprived life, subsisting by turning truck-stop ‘tricks’ with his young mother.

The book, when released was accompanied by outlandish and arresting PR statements – the author was a ‘working boy’, who was advised to write by his psychiatrist; the manuscript was typed up by his clients, who came to him for domination.

Leroy’s media persona was reclusive and shy, although not shy enough to prevent him hob-nobbing with pop-culture icons like Winona Ryder and Carrie Fisher.

The book gained much critical praise, and Sarah was swiftly followed by The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, which was identified even more closely with Leroy’s own upbringing. This book was even made into a film, and enjoyed good sales.

Again, the author was a distant figure, glimpsed fleetingly at awards ceremonies and rarely speaking in public.

However, rumours began to spread about Leroy’s true identity – before finally and definitively surfacing in the New York Times – the books were written by a woman, Laura Albert, and the public ‘Leroy’ was performed by Savannah Koop.

The myth was imploded; the film company and her publisher both severed connections, and threatened legal action. The press, which had lionised ‘him’, immediately turned.

It is said the new biopic will be based on memoir and life rights of Koop herself. LBI Entertainment, Aquarius and Franco’s Rabbit Bandini Productions are producing, while Aquarius is providing equity financing.

However, it’s looking like Franco is certain to star in the movie, while Stewart and Carter are currently in negotiations. A 2016 production date has already been proposed.

Stewart was most recently on our screens in Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women, which premiered at Sundance.

Kristen Stewart New Movie ‘Certain Women’ Looks To Represent Women Differently

Kristen Stewart is currently at Sundance promoting her new film, Certain Women, by director Kelly Reichardt.

Thanks to impressive performances in films like Clouds of Sils Maria and Still Alice, the Stewart has finally broken free from her Twilight days, and is now showing off her acting prowess in a series of great — and feminist — movie roles.

Her latest film – based on short stories by Maile Meloy – follows three women’s (Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern) living in a small town in Montana. Stewart plays an overworked lawyer teaching a night class to newcomer Lily Gladstone’s lonely, longing student; Williams is one half of a couple in the midst of building a house; Dern takes on the role of a lawyer unwillingly tasked with talking a troubled client down from a hostage situation.

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Their lives are incredibly different from one another, but, as Stewart explained on the red carpet, they’re all connected in one significant way.

It’s like every movie that’s overtly commercial needs to be about women overcoming something unbelievable, or it’s a love story. [Certain Women] tells three very different stories about working women, women who are not seeing everything in front of them, women who are making enormous misconnections and who are not top dogs, who are actually just trying to figure something out, who are all quite confused. And that’s more interesting than somebody, like, prevailing over some massive feat.”

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She continued

All three stories involve somebody who is desirous of something that they can’t have. They’re fixated on something, but really what they’re actually concerned with is something very different… they’re just very particular people, they’re people who don’t see everything, they’re people you want to tap on the shoulder and say, you’re really missing the ball here.”

For Stewart, her role of Beth Travis, a distracted young woman who doesn’t understand the full extent of her student’s interest in her, was a stark departure from the typical parts for women in film.

I basically wanted to play somebody who is distracted and not seeing what was in front of her, because usually in movies, especially the young female protagonist, it’s like we need to lead you through the entire story very obviously. This was just about two lonely unobservant typical girls that just aren’t seeing each other quite clearly. I thought that was quite interesting.”

Stewart, said last year that she “made a conscious decision to avoid blockbusters and choose smaller projects that might attract less attention, but are going to satisfy me artistically.”

Kristen Stewart To Join Michelle Williams And Laura Dern In New Kelly Reichardt’s Film

Kristen Stewart has signed up to join Reichardt’s (as-yet-untitled) next film alongside Academy Award nominees, and lesbian favourites, Michelle Williams (If These Walls Could Talk 2) and Laura Dern (the lesbian who coaxes Ellen DeGeneres out of the closet in the famous 1997 “The Puppy Episode” of the television series Ellen).

Stewart has seen a shift in a career as of late – moving more indie, than teen ideal – and receiving critical respectability with her role in Clouds Of Sils Maria. The role won her a Cesar award, which is more impressive than an Oscar because it’s French.

More: Kristen Stewart Wins a César Award, France’s Version of the Oscar

Set in a small-town in Montana, Stewart will reportedly play a lawyer from Boise, Idaho who takes a teaching job several hours from where she lives. Despite her nerves about teaching, she’s determined to prove to herself that she can do it. Soon after taking the job, Beth develops a close friendship with Jamie, a local woman who’s auditing her class. Whether this role will be played by Williams, Dern, or one of the film’s other, less fancy cast members – including Point Break’s James Le Gros, Mad Men’s Jared Harris, and newcomer Sara Rodier – is not yet known.

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