Naomi Watts is in talks to star in My Name Is Jody Williams, a biopic of the most famous and controversial peace campaigner.
Williams, a teacher by trade, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 as recognition of her efforts with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines to, well, ban landmines. Frequently outspoken, she once called President Bill Clinton a ‘weenie’ for refusing to sign the Ottawa Treaty, which outlawed landmines.
Today, she’s still very much active for the ICBL and, in 2006, co-founded The Nobel Women’s Initiative with five other Nobel Peace Prize winners. Their goal is to strengthen the cause of women’s rights around the world.
Weighty stuff, then, for Watts to get her teeth into. The movie will be written and directed by Audrey Wells, who last directed Under The Tuscan Sun back in 2003. Universal is stumping up the cash for a movie that we’re willing to bet might well be in the Oscar running, either in 2010 or 2011.