Anne Heche, Scott Speedman, Tom Everett Scott and Philip Baker Hall have signed on to join Amanda Seyfried and Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine in Bleecker Street’s “The Last Word,” the company announced Tuesday.
Production started this past weekend, with Mark Pellington (“Arlington Road”) directing from a script by Stuart Ross Fink. Pellington is also producing with Kirk D’Amico (“Margin Call”) of Myriad Pictures a and Anne-Marie MacKay of Wondros.
MacLaine plays a retired businesswoman who wants to control everything around her, including her own obituary, so she writes her own to ensure her life story is told her way. Seyfried co-stars as a young writer at the local newspaper tasked with finding out the truth about MacLaine’s character, which results in the duo forming a life-altering friendship.
Heche will play MacLaine’s estranged daughter, while Hall will play MacLaine’s ex-husband. Speedman will co-star as a local DJ, and Scott will play the editor of the local newspaper.
“The Last Word” is being financed by Myriad Pictures, Franklin Street, Media Capital Group and Pacific Mercantile Bank. The film is executive produced by Bleecker Street’s Andrew Karpen, Franklin Street’s Dan Steinman, Danny Roth and Damiano Tucci of Parkside Pictures and Myriad’s Kevin Forester. Also serving as executive producers are Aaron Magnani, MacLaine and Seyfried.
Myriad Pictures will continue to handle international sales for “The Last Word” at the European Film Market in Berlin.