For a very long time, Ellen Page has been attached to Freeheld, but it’s been held up while they try to finalise funding and get it ready for the cameras. Hopefully though now it’s moving forwards, as Julianne Moore and Zach Galifianakis have both joined the film.
The movie is based on a 2007 documentary of the same name, about a landmark LGBT equality case, which won the Oscar for documentary short.
Page is set to play mechanic Stacie Andree, who was denied the pension benefits of her longtime partner and New Jersey police detective Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore), when the latter became terminally ill. While Hester’s detective partner Dane Wells was conservative and initially surprised to learn of Hester’s sexual orientation, he stepped up to become the leader in the fight for Laurel’s rights to assign her benefits to Andree. The person playing Wells is yet to be cast.
Galifianakis is set to be Steven Goldstein, a Garden State Equality activist who played an important role in the case.
Philadephia screenwrite Ron Nyswaner has come up with the script, while Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) will direct. The current plan is to shoot this summer.
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