Zoë Kravitz will make her directorial debut on a feature called “Pussy Island,” and she will direct Channing Tatum in the lead role as a tech mogul in a tropical paradise harboring a dangerous secret.
Kravitz wrote the script to “Pussy Island” with E.T. Feigenbaum, and the film is the story of a Los Angeles cocktail waitress who maneuvers her way into the inner circle of a philanthropist and tech mogul played by Tatum, arriving on his private island where she begins to sense that there’s more to Tatum’s character than meets the eye and that he’s hiding something terrifying on the island.
Kravitz will also produce the film, as will Tatum’s Free Association banner. Bruce Cohen and Tiffany Persons will also produce. Filming hopes to begin next year.
Kravitz in an interview with Deadline explained that she began writing the film in 2017 and that the film’s title “Pussy Island” was something of a joke, but that it took on deeper meaning as conversations about sexuality have evolved.
“It alludes to this time and place we claim to not be in anymore, in terms of sexual politics. People are evolving and changing but there is still a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths from past behavior,” she said.
Kravitz describes “Pussy Island” as a genre thriller but with comedy and drama elements to it, and a release says the film is an “essential piece of zeitgeist cinema.” “This is not a story about empowerment. This is a story about power.”
She also wrote the part of the waitress as a dream role for herself to play with the intention of giving it to another actress, but Kravitz developed the film with Tatum in mind for the lead. She added that she viewed Tatum as “a true feminist” and wanted him to discuss the film’s gender and sexual politics.
“No one gives me a chance to play a role like this, everybody throws me down a different alley and expects me to do a certain thing,” Tatum also told Deadline. “It was scary and liberating, just to be able to have a free conversation, where I was allowed to mess up, and say the wrong things. It became less about men and women and on more of a human thing that will open people’s eyes.”
“Pussy Island” will be presented to buyers at the Cannes Film Market next week, with FilmNation handling international rights and CAA Media Finance handling domestic. The film is a co-production between This Is Important, Free Association and Bruce Cohen Productions.
Zoë Kravitz cut her teeth as a writer and producer on her show “High Fidelity” for Hulu, and she’ll next star as Catwoman in “The Batman” with Robert Pattinson. Tatum also recently finished his directorial debut “Dog,” which he starred in and co-directed with Reid Carolin. He’s also currently filming the adventure film “The Lost City of D” with Sandra Bullock.
Kravitz is represented by CAA and Untitled. Tatum is represented by CAA.
Deadline first reported the news.
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