Source:Variety

May 30, 2007

After more than a decade of trying, Diane English has a solid cast and an August 6 start date for The Women, the remake of the 1939 classic that she adapted and will direct, reports Variety.

Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing and Candice Bergen have either signed or are near committing to star in a contemporized version of the George Cukor-directed film, which Picturehouse will distribute domestically next year.

The project's less-than-$20 million budget has been financed by Inferno Entertainment, Picturehouse and soapmaker Dove, which will make The Women a major cog in a marketing campaign for its female-friendly brand.

Jagged Pictures partners Victoria Pearman and Mick Jagger will produce with English and Inferno's Bill Johnson. Johnson's Inferno partner, Jim Seibel, will executive produce.

English's script maintains the arch spirit of the original, and the all-female cast, but the gals aren't as relentlessly catty this time around. The story follows a group of female friends when the one they envied most discovers her husband's cheating on her.

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