Justine Bateman’s feature directorial debut has found a home. Relativity Media scored rights to Olivia Munn-starrer “Violet,” Deadline reports. The drama recently premiered at SXSW.
Penned by Bateman, “Violet” tells the story of a film exec (Munn) “who realizes her life has been built on a foundation of lies after a friend’s off-hand comment to her. Unable to shake the new awareness that her fear-based decisions have dismantled her romantic, professional, and personal life, Violet begins to feel suffocated by her past choices. Seeing that it is impossible to unwind what she now knows, Violet has no choice but to battle forward to become her true self,” the source teases.
“Relativity Media is a perfect home for ‘Violet.’ Relativity’s pedigree of films like ‘The Fighter’ and ‘Limitless,’ combined with its industry-leading management team at the newly-imagined Relativity, is the right combination to bring ‘Violet’ to its audience,” said Bateman.
Lex Miron, CEO of Relativity Media, added, “‘Violet’ is a testament to Justine’s vision, creativity, and directorial excellence, offering audiences a striking experience in theaters and at home. The film explores deep-rooted motivations and will ignite healthy, spirited conversation between friends, family, and colleagues.”
“Violet” is eyeing a theatrical release later this year.
“This is the film I wish I had watched 30 years ago. I would have become my true self a lot faster,” Bateman told SXSW. “Instead of watching the main character experience everything, the film is designed for the viewer to experience it themselves. The audio and visual components are assembled as a visceral coat that the viewer can put on to walk through the film. If even five people come out of the theater realizing that that critical inner voice is lying to them about everything, I will have accomplished the complete purpose of the film. Realizing that voice is lying frees you to make instinct-based decisions instead of fear-based decisions, and that allows you to be who you really are.”
Bateman earned two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nod for her portrayal of Mallory Keaton in the ‘80s family sitcom “Family Ties.” “Easy to Assemble,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Men in Trees” are also among her acting credits. Her other directing credits include shorts “PUSH” and “Five Minutes.”
Munn’s best known credits include “The Predator,” “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “The Newsroom,”
