The project also reunites Lawrence with Allison Shearmur, who, as a former Lionsgate executive, worked with the actress when she made her turn into megastar as the lead in ‘The Hunger Games.’ Jennifer Lawrence is gearing up to play Jazz Age icon Zelda Fitzgerald.
The drama, which is currently titled Zelda, is being developed by Ron Howard (Inferno), who is eyeing it as a potential directing vehicle.
The project also reteams Lawrence with Allison Shearmur, who, as a former Lionsgate executive, worked with the actress when she made her turn into megastar as the lead in The Hunger Games. Shearmur is producing the untitled project with Brian Oliver, whose Hacksaw Ridge is earning awards-season buzz. Lawrence and producing partner Justine Ciarrocchi also will serve as producers.
Based on a screenplay by Emma Frost (The White Queen), the story centers on Zelda Fitzgerald, who was married to author F. Scott Fitzgerald and was her husband’s indispensable muse and fiercest competitor. Desperate to define herself through her own art, the film explores the question: Can love exist between creative equals? Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Zelda Fitzgerald was dubbed by her husband as “the first American Flapper” but whose life descended into madness (she was diagnosed with schizophrenia).
The filmmakers optioned Nancy Milford’s bestselling biography Zelda, which served as the inspiration for the screenplay.
Oliver’s Cross Creek Pictures, whose other recent films include Black Mass and the upcoming Tom Cruise film Mena, is in talks finance and produce the movie.
As a producer, Shearmur is becoming a force in the area of female-led tentpoles, having produced Disney’s live-action Cinderella for Disney and the upcoming Felicity Jones-starrerRogue One: A Star Wars Story. She also is an executive producer on Power Rangers and executive producer of the highly anticipated ABC musical event Dirty Dancing.
Lawrence will next be seen in Sony’s Passengers, which opens Dec. 21. She most recently starred in David O. Russell’s Joy, for which she received her fourth Oscar nomination.
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