First Look at Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter in 'Suffragette'

As the issue of voting rights is suddenly and worryingly back in discussion, the timing of a film like Suffragette couldn't be better.  Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff (The Magdalene Sisters), Brendan Gleeson, Meryl Streep, and Ben Whishaw, it chronicles the beginnings of the suffrage movement in the U.K. and the women, led by Emmeline Pankhurst (Streep) who were behind it.

The full synopsis and the first image have been released, giving us a look at Mulligan, Carter, and Duff rallying the troops. The duo of writer Abi Morgan (Shame) and director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) are behind this one, which seems on paper to be a perfect late-season awards contender. But at this point there is no release date and it could slip into 2015. Check out the plot below...

SUFFRAGETTE is a thrilling drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. MAUD was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational.

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Genesis Rodriguez goes 'Home'; Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson Join 'Suffragette'

 
* Genesis Rodriguez, who was last seen in Hours opposite Paul Walker, has joined Topher Grace in the Blumhouse thriller, Home. Co-starring Patricia Clarkson and directed by Dennis Illiadis (the underrated Plus One),  the story has Grace as a former mental patient who moves into a newly-inherited mansion. Soon after he begins to think the home is possessed by a supernatural force. I think I see where this one is going. Besides the horror geniuses at Blumhouse Productions, the film will also be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio through his Appian Way banner. [TheWrap]

* The increasingly awesome cast of women's rights drama, Suffragette, just got a little bit better with the additions of Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson. They join Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai, Anne-Marie Duff and Samuel West in a story focusing on the early days of the suffrage movement as women fought for the right to vote. Whishaw worked with director Sarah Gavron on the BBC series, The Hour, and will play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic. Gleeson was, unfortunately, last seen in The Smurfs 2 and hit Sundance last month for the dark comedy, Calvary. Filming on Suffragette begins next week. [ScreenDaily]

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Meryl Streep Joins 'Suffragette'; Ben Kingsley and Alessandra Mastronardi Take 'Life'

* Oscar Alert! Meryl Streep will play political activist and leader of the suffrage movement Emmeline Pankhurt in Suffragette. She'll join Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne-Marie Duff in the drama centered on the early feminist movement. Streep reunites with The Iron Lady screenwriter Abi Morgan in the film directed by Sarah Gavron. Streep's role is said to be a small but pivotal one as she delivers a "tour de force" speech on women's rights during a political rally. [ScreenDaily]

* Ben Kingsley and Alessandra Mastronardi (To Rome with Love) have joined Robert Pattinson and Dane DeHaan in Life, the next film from director Anton Corbijn. DeHaan will play legendary actor James Dean, with the story following his friendship with photographer Dennis Stock (Pattinson), whose iconic images of him for LIFE Magazine helped build his image. Filming is underway now in Toronto and this is another film worth keeping a close eye on. [THR]

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