Elizabeth Banks will star in the adventure drama “Rita Hayworth with a Hand Grenade” with shooting starting in the spring.
Sloane U’Ren will direct and Robert Graf will produce. Radiant Films International is representing foreign rights and is introducing the film to buyers at the American Film Market. UTA Independent Film Group is handling North American rights.
Set in World War II, Banks will portray one of the first female war photographers. She’s shot down and stranded on a South Pacific island, where the only other inhabitant is a marooned Japanese soldier. The two evolve from sworn enemies to reluctant allies in a 30-year battle against the forces of nature and their inescapable circumstances.
U’Ren will direct from a script by Antony Neely. She made her feature directing debut on “Dimensions” after working as an art director and set designer on “Being John Malkovich” and “The Good Shepherd.”
Graf’s executive producing credits include Coen Brothers titles “No Country for Old Men,” “Burn After Reading,” “True Grit” and the upcoming “Hail, Caesar!”
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Banks will be seen next in the final “Hunger Games” film. She starred in “Love and Mercy” opposite John Cusack and Paul Giamatti and directed “Pitch Perfect 2.”
Banks is represented by UTA, Untitled Entertainment and attorney P.J. Shapiro.
The news was first reported by Screen.
