Nia DaCosta Will Write and Direct “Hedda Gabler” Adaptation

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Nia DaCosta Will Write and Direct “Hedda Gabler” Adaptation

From caped crusaders to Henrik Ibsen, Nia DaCosta is building an eclectic filmography. Following her history-making success at the box office with horror pic “Candyman” and ahead of her foray into the Marvel universe with Brie Larson-starrer “The Marvels,” DaCosta has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of Ibsen’s 1891 play “Hedda Gabler” for MGM’s Orion Pictures and Plan B. Variety broke the news.

“Hedda Gabbler” tells the story of “its titular character as she navigates a house she does not want, a marriage she feels trapped in, and an ex-lover who has reappeared in her life,” the source teases.

Glenda Jackson received an Oscar nod for Best Actress for “Hedda,” a 1975 film adaptation of the play.

DaCosta became the first Black woman filmmaker to open a movie at No. 1 at the domestic box office with “Candyman.” She made her feature debut with 2018’s “Little Woods,” a crime drama starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James. “The Marvels” is slated for release July 28, 2023. Iman Vellani (“Ms. Marvel”) will join Larson and Teyonah Parris (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) in the “Captain Marvel” sequel. Also on DaCosta’s upcoming slate is an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Water Dancer,” the story of a man born into bondage and gifted with a mysterious power.

Asked about the best and worst advice she’s received, DaCosta told us, “Write what you know and write what you know. I used to take it too literally. Now I’ve freed myself to write what I know emotionally but allow it to cross into the unfamiliar.”