Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is preparing to debunk some female-related myths…
The 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and singer will star in the anthology series package Girls Can’t Shoot (& Other Lies), a project hailing from Mark Gordon Pictures.
Rodriguez joins an all-star cast that includes Beanie Feldstein, Kat Dennings, Jameela Jamil and Lolly Adefope.
The project is based on the international bestselling essay collection Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and Other Lies).
Saorise Ronan will serve as an executive producer of the pilot episode.
The source material, curated by Scarlett Curtis, has been published globally in 12 languages and includes essays authored by Ronan, Feldstein, Dennings, Jamil and Adefope.
The first season will explore and play with the expectations of women in storytelling by placing heroines at the center of traditionally male genres in a multitude of original, high concept, cinematic tales and will put the creative power squarely into the hands of female filmmakers. Curtis, who created the format, will serve across the entire series as EP and write the pilot episode.
“Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies) gave a generation of women the chance to tell their stories and Girls Can’t Shoot (& other lies) has the exact same mission,” Curtis said. “It has been my lifelong dream to show that women’s stories can be both entertaining and empowering and I could not have found a more incredible group of women to bring their extraordinary visions to life. Working with two producers as supportive, creative and risk taking as Bonnie and Mark has been a truly magical process.”
Shadi Hamta is attached as a writer, with each actor acting as executive producers in the episode in which they star. Dennings and Adefope will write the episodes in which they will star, adapted from their essays in the collection. Feldstein and Rodriguez have partnered to develop the episode in which they will co-star. Executive producing for Mark Gordon Pictures will be Gordon and Bonnie-Chance Roberts.
“It was in March 2020, on the cusp of the end of the world, that we first began dreaming of a way to harness the spirit of Scarlett’s book into a series,” Roberts said. So, to have had each of these wildly talented, deeply creative women partner with us and pour so much passion into the work is an absolute dream come true. Working with Scarlett, as wonderful of a person as she is a creative, has been the greatest joy!”
Mark Gordon Pictures has an existing deal with eOne, under which they continue to acquire, develop and produce an expansive slate of projects spanning multiple genres and mediums.
This year, Rodriguez became the first transgender woman to earn an Emmy Award nomination in a major acting category; she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the third and final season of Pose.
