John Malkovich, Kathy Bates, and Lewis Pullman Set to Star in THELMA
Kathy Bates (Misery, Richard Jewell, American Horror Story), John Malkovich (Con Air, Space Force), and Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) are set to star in a new film project titled Thelma, which is being directed by Ken Kwapis (#BlackAF, The Office).
Thelma tells the true story of the mother of John Kennedy Toole (Pullman), “the Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Confederacy of Dunces. Toole died by suicide before finding a home for his masterpiece, and his mother Thelma (Bates) made it her life’s mission, through outrageous gamesmanship, to see the book published. She eventually succeeded in getting the manuscript into the hands of writer Walker Percy (Malkovich), who became the novel’s champion. It would be published in 1980, eleven years after Ken’s death, thereafter becoming a widely celebrated cult classic.”
The script was written by Black List screenwriter Andrew Farotte. Steven P. Wegner (Blade Runner 2049, The Blind Side) and Johnny Lin (American Made, Bernie) are producing.
Kwapis said in a statement, “Thelma Toole is one of the most audacious characters I’ve ever encountered, and I can imagine no one better to bring her tenacity to life than Kathy Bates. With rising star Lewis Pullman in the role of her gifted, if doomed, son and John Malkovich playing literary legend Walker Percy, I feel we’re putting together a real confederacy of brilliance.”
Lin added, “We are thrilled that Kathy and John will be starring in the story of a fantastical woman who will stop at nothing to ensure the legacy of her talented son. Aging and guilt-ridden, Thelma dedicates her life to finding a publisher in the hopes of redeeming herself and her son. Andrew Farotte has done a remarkable job of capturing Thelma’s life and pursuits, and we look forward to bringing this story to the masses.”
Source: Deadline