Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot will take on the leading role in an upcoming Untitled Hedy Lamarr Project from Showtime. The project will center around actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr. Gadot will also serve as an executive produce alongside Sarah Treem (The Affair), Warren Littlefield (The Handmaid’s Tale), Katie Robbins (The Last Tycoon) and Jaron Varsano (My Dearest Fidel). The official announcement was made at the Television Critics Association summer press tour today, and Showtime’s Co-President of Entertainment Jana Winograde had this to say in a statement.
This will be the Israeli actress and model’s first starring role in a US television series. Although the project is not yet titled, the cable network is excited to be telling Hedy Lamarr’s story.
“In Gal Gadot, we have found the transcendent actress to portray the deeply complex Lamarr. And with the award-winning talents of Sarah Treem and Warren Littlefield, this is going to be a special series.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian actress throughout the 1940s. She starred in films such as Algiers, Boom Town, I Take This Woman, Comrade X, Come Live with Me and Samson and Delilah. Her life off-screen, however, is truly fascinating. During World War II, there was a big push for women to join the workforce. With many laborers away at war, companies began hiring women in droves. Advertisements such as the iconic Rosie the Riveter campaign spread. Although there have been a few films that look at this, the comedy A League of their Own for example, there aren’t nearly enough considering the impact it had on society.
“The life of Hedy Lamarr was a truly fascinating one. She stood at the forefront of many issues that challenge women and our society today,”
Lemarr is a particularly great example because she not only directly helped the war effort, but she helped advance technology today. While a famous actress in Hollywood, Hedy helped to create a “Secret Communication System”. The technology changed radio frequencies to prevent enemies from being able to decode messages. Although her achievement went relatively unknown for years, the technology she helped create was eventually used to enable Bluetooth and Wifi. Lamarr passed away from heart disease in 2000 at the age of 85.
Aside from the biopic limited series, Showtime also revealed premiere dates for Homeland, Kidding, Ray Donovan, Shameless. The Word: Generation Q. This news comes to us from TV Line.
