Jessica Chastain's female assassin movie Eve has found a new director, tapping The Help's Tate Taylor to helm. Matthew Newton was originally set to direct the film but stepped down amid backlash over allegations he assaulted two of his former girlfriends, Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor, in incidents dating back to 2007 and 2010.
Fans had accused Chastain, a vocal champion of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, of hypocrisy for her decision to work with Newton on Eve, a film she's producing through her Freckle Films banner. Upon his decision to walk away, Newton released a statement mentioning his battles with mental illness and saying he is "profoundly aware that I have a responsibility to lead where I have failed in the past."
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As reported by THR, Eve will now move ahead with Tate Taylor in the director's chair in place of Newton. Taylor previously directed Chastain to an Oscar-nominated performance in the 2011 drama The Help. Chastain's co-star Octavia Spencer actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for that film. Spencer too is set to work with Taylor again, starring for him in the Blumhouse horror film Ma. Chastain and Spencer will themselves reunite for a Christmas-themed road trip comedy to be penned by Crazy Rich Asians writer Peter Chiarelli.
Eve isn't the only project Chastain has set up with Taylor, as the two will also collaborate on The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Also included among Chastain's many upcoming projects is the all-female spy film 355, co-starring Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Fan Bingbing. Chastain also plays the older version of Beverly Marsh in next year's horror sequel IT Chapter 2. And the actress will appear in a mystery role in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Taylor's own previous work includes the 2016 Emily Blunt-led thriller The Girl on the Train.
Little has been revealed about Chastain's Eve project beyond the fact that it revolves around a female assassin. With Newton now off the production and Taylor on board, the movie can get out from underneath the earlier controversy and go forward with a director Chastain obviously knows well and is comfortable working with. Chastain clearly has become a leading voice trying to create change in Hollywood, both in terms of fighting for equal pay and in terms of getting productions off the ground that showcase female characters. Now, Eve will be another similar project.
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Source: THR
