Nia DaCosta is set to write and direct “Hedda Gabler,” a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famous play, for MGM’s Orion Pictures and Plan B.
Hot off the box office success of “Candyman” and ahead of her upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with “The Marvels,” DaCosta will present her fresh take on the fabled story. “Hedda Gabler” has seen numerous adaptations on stage and screen, and in several languages, since its 1891 debut, including 1975’s “Hedda,” which earned Glenda Jackson a best actress nomination at the Academy Awards.
Produced by Gabrielle Nadig, who also produced DaCosta’s debut feature “Little Woods,” and Plan B, “Hedda Gabler” follows its titular character as she navigates a house she does not want, a marriage she feels trapped in and an ex-lover who has reappeared in her life.
The film also marks DaCosta’s latest collaboration with MGM and Plan B. In April, it was announced that she had signed on to direct the feature adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ best-selling novel “The Water Dancer,” which will be produced by Maceo-Lyn, Plan B and Harpo Films. DaCosta also directed “Candyman” for MGM, co-adapting the horror movie with Jordan Peele. Released in Aug. 2021 and distributed by Universal Pictures, “Candyman” surpassed industry expectations amid the pandemic, as DaCosta became the first Black woman director to open at the top of U.S. box office charts. The movie hauled in $77 million worldwide.
DaCosta established herself as a filmmaker to watch with her 2018 debut “Little Woods,” which stars Tessa Thompson and Lily James. The film was developed through the Sundance Institute and, after premiering to great acclaim at Tribeca, was released theatrically by Neon. Following “Candyman,” her second feature, DaCosta was tapped to helm “The Marvels,” the sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel,” starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani. She is currently in postproduction on the superhero movie, which is set for a 2023 release. DaCosta is repped by CAA, Management 360, Casarotto Ramsay and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.
“Hedda Gabler” is one among the several projects Plan B has in the works at MGM as part of their overall second-look feature film deal. Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” which Plan B produced with hear/say productions for MGM’s Orion Pictures, is set for release in December, while Cory Finley’s “Landscape with Invisible Hand,” produced with Annapurna Pictures, is expected in 2023. Future projects include an original film from Lee Isaac Chung and film adaptations of Chandler Baker’s “The Husbands,” with Kristen Wiig attached to star and produce and Lisa Taddeo’s “Animal,” which marks the author’s feature screenwriting debut.
