J.J. Abrams And Daisy Ridley Reunite For ‘Kolma’, To Be Directed By Marielle Heller
J.J. AbramsandDaisy Ridleyfirst joined forces to explore a certain galaxy far, far way, but now they’re looking to extend their relationship beyond theStar Warsuniverse. The pair are reuniting onKolma, a fantasy thriller to be produced by Abrams' Bad Robot. But Abrams isn’t directing this time around. Instead, that job will go toMarielle Heller, who broke out last year with the superb coming-of-age storyDiary of a Teenage Girl.TheWrapwrites thatKolmais based on a 2003 Israeli TV movie byKeren Margalit. Here’s how they describe the story:
Megan Holley(Sunshine Cleaning) wrote the most recent draft of the script, followingRolin Jones(Weeds),Karen Moncrieff(The Trials of Cate McCall), andSarah Polley(Away From Her). Abrams will produce withRam Bergman(Star Wars: Episode VIII),Sherryl Clark(Cloverfield), andDavid Lonner(Dope).Kolmais expected to get a midrange budget around $60 or $70 million, “enough to allow for impressive visual effects while keeping the scale of the film relatively modest.”
Ridley came out of seemingly nowhere to clinch the lead in Abrams’Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and has been in high demand ever since that movie turned her into a household name. Among other things, she’s been rumored as the top pick for the newTomb Raiderreboot. But she’s been choosy so far, perhaps because she quickly returned to work onStar Wars: Episode VIIIdirected by Rian Johnson. She’s also expected to star inEpisode IX, which is being directed by Colin Trevorrow.
Heller made a splash at Sundance 2015 with her directorial debut,Diary of a Teenage Girl, earning a Directors Guild of America nomination for outstanding first-time directors. (She ultimately lost out to Alex Garland forEx Machina.)Kolmasounds like a great next step for her. Abrams and Ridley’s involvement more or less guarantees this movie will get some strong buzz, and it sounds like a different sort of story that’ll still benefit from the creative style and deep-seated empathy she demonstrated inDiary of a Teenage Girl.
