She Said - What We Know So Far
In 2017, the New York Times broke one of the biggest stories of recent years, revealing film producer Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual harassment of countless women, including several well-known actors, over approximately three decades. The story, written by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, completely changed the Hollywood landscape for women and, eventually, led to Weinstein being sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse. Kantor and Twohey received the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service, shared with New Yorker writer Ronan Farrow, for their reporting. In 2019, Kantor and Twohey released a book, "She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement," detailing the behind-the-scenes process of breaking the major story.
Now, "She Said" is being adapted for a film adaptation via Universal Pictures, as reported by Deadline. The screenplay is written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, whose other credits include the 2017 drama "Disobedience" and the 2013 Polish drama "Ida," the latter of which earned her an Oscar win for Best Foreign Language Film. The director, Maria Schrader, is best known for directing all four episodes of the Netflix miniseries "Orthodox," for which she earned an Emmy nomination.
Additionally, the project has two major names attached to play the leads, Twohey and Kantor: Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. Here's everything we know about "She Said," including the release date, cast, and plot.
When will She Said be released?
It was announced this past summer that Universal Pictures had settled on a release date for "She Said," November 18, 2022 (via Deadline).
One of the film's stars, Carey Mulligan, was seen filming the upcoming movie in New York City in August of 2021 — set with a brown wig to match her real-life counterpart — as reported by Just Jared. The following month Mulligan was seen on set again, this time with her co-star Zoe Kazan (via The Daily Mail). It's unclear if the film is still in production or if filming has wrapped.
Regardless, we have just about a year's wait before the film is released. By next year, it will have been a full five years since the story first broke. With the Me Too movement still in full force, "She Said" will be a fitting reminder of the events that catapulted the movement to worldwide notoriety five years ago.
Who is in the cast of She Said?
Two-time Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan will be taking on the role of Megan Twohey, with actor and screenwriter Zoe Kazan playing Jodi Kantor. Mulligan recently starred in the 2021 Netflix film "The Dig," as well as in Emerald Fennell's 2020 acclaimed film "Promising Young Woman," the latter of which earned Mulligan her second Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Kazan has starred in films such as "The Big Sick" and "What If," and most recently starred in the Netflix drama series "Clickbait" as well as the HBO miniseries "The Plot Against America."
The ensemble cast is also shaping up to be impressive. Two-time Emmy winner (for a guest role in HBO's "Six Feet Under") Patricia Clarkson will play the New York Times' investigations department editor Rebecca Corbett (via Deadline). Clarkson, a longtime actor, most recently appeared in the British comedy series "State of the Union," along with the final two seasons of the Netflix drama "House of Cards." Andre Braugher will play New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet, as reported by Variety. Braugher recently wrapped his run as Raymond Holt on the sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Both Corbett and Baquet oversaw the investigations being pursued by Twohey and Kantor.
Further, according to IMDB, Sean Cullen ("Mindhunter") will portray former Weinstein Co. board member Lance Maerov, who testified against the producer in court, and George Walsh ("The Five in Merseyside") will portray Weinstein's lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz (via The Hollywood Reporter). Additional cast members include Tom Pelphrey ("Ozark") and Adam Shapiro ("Never Have I Ever").
What will She Said be about?
"She Said" will depict Kantor and Twohey through the process of investigating the Weinstein scandal, as well as the events leading up to the publishing of the article. According to Deadline, "The thrust of the film isn't Weinstein or his scandal. This is about an all-women team of journalists who persevered through threats of litigation and intimidation, told in a procedural manner like 'Spotlight' and 'All the President's Men.'"
Looking at the book's Goodreads page gives us a more in-depth look into the film's source material. According to the book's description, Twohey and Kantor spent months "having confidential discussions with top actresses, former Weinstein employees, and other sources, learning of disturbing long-buried allegations, some of which had been covered up by onerous legal settlements." The book also details the response to their groundbreaking story — "a veritable Pandora's Box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened" — and a movement took off.
Based on the synopsis provided by Deadline, we can definitely expect a significant portion of the film to focus on Kantor's and Twohey's investigative work and depictions of the events leading up to the publication of the article. But, based on the Goodreads description, if the film sticks closely to the source material, then we can likely expect an additional focus on the aftermath as Kantor's and Twohey's work becomes something much bigger in the scope of the cultural landscape.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).