Holly Hunter joins STILL I RISE, close to deal for ROMEO AND JULIET

Holly Hunter has joined the cast of Still I Rise directed by Daniel Barnz. She will star alongside Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the drama about "the campaign by a teacher and mother to transform a quality of education in a Pittsburgh inner-city public school. Hunter will play the head of the teacher’s union." The original screenplay was written by Brin Hill, with Barnz doing a rewrite. The film is being produced by Mark Johnson under his Gran Via Productions banner, with 20th Century Fox distributing domestically.

Hunter is also close to a deal to star alongside Hailee Steinfeld in Romeo and Juliet. directed by Carlo Carlei based on a script by Julian Fellowes. The pic is being produced by Fellowes, Gabriele Muccino, Ileen Maisel and Mark Ordesky. Hunter has won an Oscar and most recenlty earned two Emmy nominations for her work on TNT's Saving Grace.