Tate Taylor Replaces Original Director On Jessica Chastain Action Movie ‘Eve’
I’m not sure if anyone expectedJessica Chastainto become a full-fledged action movie star, but the actress is starting to take big strides in that direction. She hasa female-centric action project called355in the works, she’sabout to appearin the presumably action-heavy superhero movieX-Men: Dark Phoenix, andshe’s gearing up to star in and producea new action film calledEve.
Matthew Newton, the original director ofEve, ended up stepping down from the project after a fan outcry regarding domestic violence allegations against him. Now, Chastain will be reunited withThe HelpfilmmakerTate Taylor, who has swooped in to become the newEvedirector.The Hollywood Reporterbrings word about Taylor’s hiring, which takes place in the wake of Newton leaving the film. I’ll let THR explain why Newton walked:
Newton wrote the script forEve, which we still don’t know much about – it’s been described as a “character-driven action film” and Chastain is rumored to play an assassin. It seems as if they’re still going to use Newton’s script, even though he was essentially forced out of the director’s chair following a groundswell of bad buzz after the project was announced. Chastain has become one of the public faces of #TimesUp, and working closely with someone who has such a checkered past wouldn’t have been a great look.
To Newton’s credit, it sounds like he stepped down without much of a fight. He released the following statement a couple of weeks ago when he left the movie:
“Yesterday I notified Jessica Chastain and the other producers on the filmEvethat I will be stepping down as director. Since the announcement of this film, the responses, which are powerful and important, have not fallen on deaf ears. I am profoundly aware that I have a responsibility to lead where I have failed in the past.”
Now Chastain will reunite with Taylor, who directed her to an Oscar nomination inThe Help. This isn’t the only reunion project for the pair: they’re also developing a separate film calledThe Eyes of Tammy Fayethat Chastain intends to produce and star in. Taylor, who also directedGet On UpandThe Girl on the Train, seems to have really enjoyed working with the cast ofThe Help, because he’s already reunited with Octavia Spencer on a Blumhouse thriller calledMathat’s currently in post-production.
