PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records, Russell James, Copyright BarwoodBarbra Streisand has signed on to direct the upcoming film Catherine the Great, about the empress who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. The movie features a script penned by Kristina Lauren Anderson that in 2014 was picked by a panel of insiders as Hollywood’s best as-yet-unproduced screenplay.
The film tells the story of a sensual young woman in an abusive marriage with the heir to the Russian throne who uses her intelligence and strength to rise to power after her husband proves an inept ruler.
Catherine the Great is being produced by Gil Netter, whose previous credits include the Oscar-winning movies Life of Pi and The Blind Side. Casting for Catherine the Great currently is under way.
Streisand has directed three other feature films — 1983’s Yentl, 1991’s The Prince of Tides and 1996’s The Mirror Has Two Faces — which received a collective 14 Academy Award nominations. In 1984, Barbra became the first woman ever to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, for Yentl.
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