Following her acclaimed role as Leti in HBO’s Lovecraft Country series, Jurnee Smollett has found her next collaboration with producer J.J. Abrams in the form of Netflix’s upcoming thriller film titled Lou. According to Deadline, Smollett and Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney have signed on for the leading roles in Bad Robot Production’s newest project. They are also both set to serve as an executive producer.
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Lou begins when a young girl gets suddenly kidnapped during a massive storm. With no other options left, her mother desperately teams up with the mysterious older woman next door to pursue the kidnapper – a journey into the wilderness that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.
The film will be directed by Anna Foerster (Westworld) from a screenplay written by Maggie Cohn. It will be produced by Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, Jon Cohen and Hannah Minghella with Braden Aftergood and Lindsey Weber set as executive producers.
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Smollett gained recognition for her roles as the DCEU’s Black Canary in last year’s Bird of Prey and in HBO’s acclaimed horror drama Lovecraft Country. She is currently in production for another high-profile film for Netflix titled Escape the Spiderhead, which she’ll star in alongside Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller.
Janney is best known for Emmy-wining role in NBC’s The West Wing, which ran on-air from 1999-2006. For her performance in Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, she won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other notable film credits include Juno, Hairspray, Nurse Betty, The Hours, The Help, Bad Education, and most recently Breaking News in Yuba County.