Barbra Streisand is headed back to the big screen. According to The Wrap, the Oscar-winner has agreed a deal to helm Catherine the Great, a biopic that will focus on the powerful Russian empress.
She’ll be working from a script penned by Kristina Lauren Anderson, which drew praise after it nabbed the coveted Blacklist for best unproduced screenplay in 2014. Now, Anderson’s real-life drama is bound for the silver screen.
Coming to power in 1762 after famously orchestrating a coup against her husband, Tsar Peter III, Catherine the Great (real name Yekaterina Alexeyevna) earned her title after becoming the longest-ruling female leader in Russia’s history. And though her reign lasted up until her death in 1796, it’s understood that Anderson’s retelling focuses on a much younger Catherine, trapped in an unhappy marriage from a young age. Seeing her husband’s flailing attempts at ruling from the throne, she then called upon her intelligence and fortitude to rise to power in what ought to be a riveting feature film.
Assuming producing duties on Streisand’s flick is Gil Netter (The Blind Side, Life of Pi, Dude, Where’s my Car?), though it’s unclear at this stage whether Kristina Lauren Anderson will be involved in the cinematic adaptation. One way or another, this is Barbra Streisand’s first foray behind the camera in almost a decade, with 1996 romantic comedy The Mirror Has Two Faces acting as her last directorial effort.
It’s still early days on Catherine The Great, and the next step in production will likely be for Barbra Streisand to locate her leading lady for the brilliant title role.
