Anne Hathaway is adapting a movie version of George Brant’s celebrated play “Grounded,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The Oscar-winning actress will star in and produce the picture. In 2015, she appeared in a New York production of the single-actor drama (directed by Julie Taymor) at the Public Theater. At the time, Hathaway was so enthusiastic about the material that she locked up the film rights before her first performance.
“Grounded” tells the story of a conflicted American Air Force pilot tasked with operating an unmanned drone. Brant is adapting his script for the screen. The stage portrayal earned Hathaway a nomination for a Critics Circle Award.
Hathaway is producing “Grounded” with Entertainment 360’s Suzan Bymel and Ben Forkner; and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, which is financing the movie. The company’s president of production Carla Hacken has previously worked with Hathaway on 20th Century Fox’s “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Bride Wars” and “Love and Other Drugs.”
“Grounded” received strong reviews off-Broadway. At the time, Variety theater critic Marilyn Stasio wrote: “Hathaway masterfully navigates her terrifying dive from high-flying heroics to the appalling reality of guiding drones.”
Hathaway can next be seen reprising her role as the White Queen in Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” which opens later this month.
