Dee Rees Bringing Flo Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, and The Fight for the ERA to the Big Screen in "An Uncivil War"
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 9:21PM by Daniel Crooke
While her World War II-set Mississippi saga Mudbound continues to roll out across the fall festival circuit, steadily increasing its buzz along the way, rising director Dee Rees has set her sights on the feminist movement’s fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment for her next film: An Uncivil War. Particularly focusing on the work of iconic activists Flo Kennedy and Gloria Steinem in the early 1970s as they battle for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law for all citizens regardless of gender, and against archconservative forces led by fundamentalist organizer Phyllis Schlafly, FilmNation will finance the film with production set to begin early next year.
This is an exciting new chapter in Rees’s already distinguished filmography – which, in addition to Mudbound, includes her tender, achingly gorgeous debut Pariah and the Emmy-nominated Bessie – and the story is ripe for the moment. After so evocatively illustrating in her earlier work the ways in which hard-won personal identity can be met with retaliatory cultural reverberations from the close-mindedness within and around your own community, Rees has set herself up for success to dissect the multi-layered muddle of how this feminist moment impacted America. Indeed, in her own words: “I'm particularly interested in digging into the messiness of the women's movement — the many different alliances that were formed and fractured and exploring who got left behind vs who got remembered.” Personally this quote reminds me of the backroom brainstorm meetings between the fractious feminist street bands of Lizzie Borden’s dystopian docu-manifesto Born In Flames, a film which happens to feature Flo Kennedy in a galvanizing supporting performance as an elder stateswoman of the cause. That story, like this one, is a tale of intersectionality.
As An Uncivil War marches into pre-production, who would you cast as Flo Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, and Phyllis Schlafly?
Reader Comments (12)
Goodness me, can she do no wrong?! What a fierce talent with such a clear voice and vision.
Kate Winslet, Connie Britton, Laura Linney, Carey Mulligan, Carla Gugino and Kathryn Haun all immediately come to mind for Phyllis Schafly. I think that they could all bring something different to her.
Keira Knightley,REBECCA HALL, Billie Lourd, Mila Kunis, Emma Watson could all be viable contenders for Gloria Steinem.
Uzo Aduba, ADRIENNE C. MOORE, Danielle Brooks, Tiffany Haddish, Gabourey Sidibe, Tessa Thompson, PERNELL WALKER could all make for a good Flo Kennedy.
I'd love to see what others say!
I am lost at the moment for words to express how amazed and thrilled I am that such a project is in development. Viola Davis as Flo Kennedy could work.
I hate Schafly so much I wouldn't wish that part on anybody
As for Gloria Steinham it would take a Meryl Streep level actress to do her justice. A great role but a very high degree of difficulty.
Jessica Chastain?
Flo has a mature appearance. So my suggestion is CCH Pounder. Phyllis is easily Melissa Leo or Kathy Bates (because her elusive 4th nod and 2nd win matters to me more than your faves getting a boost). Unsure of who I would cast as Gloria.
What an exciting project. I would cast:
Natalie Portman as Gloria Steinem
Mo'Nique as Flo Kennedy
Julianne Moore as Phyllis Schlafly
Or maybe Michelle Williams as Steinem.
I immediately thought of Melissa Leo for Phyllis. Other thoughts:
Flo: Adina Porter, Adriane Lenox, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tonya Pinkins
Gloria: Lily Rabe, Rebecca Hall, Carrie Coon, Kirsten Dunst
Y'all missed the boat: Andrea Riseborough for the Gloria Steinem role!
Aunjanue Ellie, Viola Davis' The Help co-star, comes to mind for Flo Kennedy. (Either she or Adepero Oduye, Dee Rees' Pariah star, could be great in that part.)
Melissa Leo could be inspired casting for Phyllis Schlafly, although is she perhaps a bit too old to play Phyllis in this particular time period? (People may forget that Phyllis was in her 40s when she was fighting the ERA.) Someone like Amy Adams might be more appropriate.
Melissa Leo could be inspired casting for Phyllis Schlafly, although is she perhaps a bit too old to play Phyllis in this particular time period? (People may forget that Phyllis was in her 40s when she was fighting the ERA.) Someone like Amy Adams might be more appropriate.
Adams looks too young. The real Phyllis aged rather rapidly Both she and Flo are very mature in their appearance during this time period. Only Gloria should be cast as a fresh face young person.
For Gloria, I like the idea of Mary Elizabeth Winstead; similar heights, looks, and Winstead is a fantastic and underrated young-ish actress.
I see no one else but Alfre Woodard as Flo.
Sutton Foster as Gloria
Audra McDonald as Flo
Mirielle Enos as Phyllis
I like the sense of movement and propulsion and upbeat energy that Sutton Foster brings to a role, and think that would be appropriate for Gloria.
The layers and depths that Audra has, and the spectator surety the audience has that this is talent that cannot be denied, might be an approach for Flo.
While I like Mirielle Enos, I puzzled all season watching "The Catch" about why her scenes lost energy, fell flat, and died. And why she sometimes came across as smug and unempathetic. It was exaggerated by her big fake smile and sense of hollowness. I haven't solved that puzzle, but that might be a useful quality to harness for Phyllis. (I have liked Enos in other parts).