Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Jack Reynor, Stephen Root, and Cailee Spaeny Join Cast alongside director Mimi Leder on Participant’s On the Basis of Sex

MONTREAL, QUÉBEC (October 2, 2017) – Today, Participant Media announced production has begun on its upcoming film, On The Basis of Sex, in Montreal, Québec. Academy Award® nominee Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) is set to play Ruth Bader Ginsburg opposite Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) who will play her husband, Martin. Justin Theroux (The Girl on the Train, The Leftovers) has joined the cast alongside Oscar® winner Kathy Bates (Misery, Disjointed), Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe® winner Sam Waterston (The Killing Fields, Law & Order), Jack Reynor (Detroit), Stephen Root (Get Out, All the Way), and Cailee Spaeny (upcoming Pacific Rim: Uprising).

Multiple Emmy Award® winner Mimi Leder (Deep Impact, The Leftovers) is directing a script by Ginsburg’s nephew, Daniel Stiepleman. Robert Cort is producing, Participant Media is financing, and Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King of Participant are executive producers. Karen Loop and Betsy Danbury will also serve as executive producers.

The film tells an inspiring and spirited true story that follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the Supreme Court and overturn a century of gender discrimination.The feature will premiere in 2018 in line with Justice Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court.

“Our story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg resonates with me on so many levels – from the inspiring partnership she found in her marriage, to overcoming adversity as a woman and discovering the strength of her own voice, to her empathetic commitment to those in need of a voice no matter their gender, race, status or religious beliefs,” said Leder. “In these tumultuous times, stories like this speak to the heart of humanity and remind us what it means to lead with love and compassion as the way forward.”

Cort stated, “On The Basis Of Sex shines a spotlight on the origin story of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her rollercoaster struggle for women’s rights makes for a riveting courtroom drama, and we feel that her remarkable relationship with her husband and family will inspire movie audiences everywhere.”

On The Basis of Sex is planned for release through Participant’s output arrangements via Amblin Partners, with Focus Features distributing domestically. International output partners are Entertainment One (eOne), Nordisk, CJ Entertainment, Alibaba Pictures, Reliance Entertainment and Lev Cinema. Lionsgate will sell all available international territories.

About Focus Features
Focus Features (www.focusfeatures.com) acquires and produces specialty films for the global market, and holds a library of iconic movies from fearless filmmakers. Current and upcoming domestic releases from Focus include Victoria & Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench as Queen Victoria; Darkest Hour, directed by Joe Wright and starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill; the untitled Entebbe project, a gripping political thriller directed by José Padilha and starring Rosamund Pike and Daniel Brühl; Jason Reitman’s new comedy Tully, starring Charlize Theron and written by Diablo Cody; Lenny Abrahamson’ atmospheric thriller The Little Stranger; Joel Edgerton’s coming-of-age and coming-out drama Boy Erased starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe; Mary, Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I; and the untitled new film from Paul Thomas Anderson starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.