Sundance recently revealed the first look of its upcoming dramaCall JanestarringElizabeth Banks,Sigourney Weaver, andKate Marain lead roles. The drama focuses on a traditional housewife who joins the Jane Collective, an underground service in Chicago, Illinois providing women with access to safe abortions. Banks plays a housewife named Joy, a married woman with an unwanted pregnancy living in America before Roe v. Wade. Call Jane is directed by Phyllis Nagy and written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi. The film is produced by Robbie Brenner who has produced box office hits such asCarolandDallas Buyers Club.
The pictures revealed show a despairing Elizabeth Banks along with supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku looking sorrowful while sitting on a front porch. Another picture shows Banks in a black coat and a wide pair of black sunglasses, looking out the window of her car. As one can imagine the struggle of being a woman in America without access to safe abortions, this film is surely one to look forward to given the status of Roe v. Wade today in 2021.
Banks, Weaver, Mara, and Rupert Friend were cast in the lead roles in October 2020 with Mosaku joining the cast in April 2021.Chris Messina,Cory Michael Smith, Aida Turturro, Grace Edwards, and Bianca D’Ambrosio joined the cast of the film in supporting roles, with Friend pulling out. It was said that Elisabeth Moss and Susan Sarandon were also initially cast first, but also had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.
“Call Jane was made for these times – and I have never felt more passionately that our culture is ready to embrace its call for decency, for community, for goodwill and humor in all things – and above all, its call for necessary change,”said Nagy.
Brenner adds, “As a woman and a mother of two girls, I feel like the time is now and the moment essential to bring a film like Call Jane into the world. With such cultural uncertainty and when so many of our rights as women are under siege, I know that telling this important story couldn’t be more timely or necessary, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to collaborate with such an extraordinary group of creative and strong women at the helm.”
The film is set to have its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance film festival on July 20, 2025.
