Wanted! A-List Actresses

When you think of women in prison, you think Bad Girls, Prisoner Cell Block H and possibly some even dodgier late-night films with names like Hot Cell or Lock-Down Lesbians. You probably don't think Friends stars and multiple-Oscar winners. All that is about to change, however, as Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston sign on for Wanted. Based on the book by Kim Wozencraft (who wrote the novel that became Rush, the 1991 Jason Patric film), the story follows a cop, Diane Wellman (Aniston), who is framed for narcotics trafficking, after she challenges some corrupt colleagues who send an innocent man to prison. Sent to prison herself, her cellmate Gail Rubin (Streep) is a former political protester who has renounced the violence that led to her imprisonment. Together, the pair plot to escape, as Wellman plans to get revenge on the corrupt colleagues who set her up, and Gail wants to start a new life after eighteen years inside. It's something of a departure for both actresses, and Wozencraft's book is suspenseful stuff. The director will be Sheldon Turner, who has carved out a successful career as a writer in the last couple of years with work on The Longest Yard, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel and three as-yet unfilmed thrillers. So will be more a female Shawshank Redemption? Or a girly Lock Up? Only time will tell.