Marc Webb signs up to direct movie about Westboro Baptist Church defector
Marc Webb, who is known for directing two "Amazing Spider-Man" movies has signed up to direct an upcoming movie about the life of former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper.
According to Variety, the feature film, titled "This Above All," is being adapted by Nick Hornby from Adrian Chen's 2015 article from the New Yorker and from Phelps-Roper's upcoming memoir.
Phelps-Roper, the granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, was one of the most powerful voices in the church until she encountered individuals on social media who changed the way she looked at the world.
In her Ted Talk earlier this year, she recounted that she was only five years old when she and her family trekked across the U.S. to protest against the LGBT community, Islam, Catholics, politicians and many other groups.
When Phelps-Roper joined Twitter on 2009, she encountered a user named David, who was able to plant seeds of doubt about her affiliation with the church during their conversations.
During one of the group's protests in New Orleans, David turned up and gave her a sweet pudding from Jerusalem, while she offered him some kosher chocolates while holding a "God hates Jews" sign.
"There was no confusion about our positions but the line between friend and foe was becoming blurred. We'd started to see each other as human beings, and it changed the way we spoke to one another," she recounted.
She and her sister eventually left the church in 2012, and they were ultimately disowned by their family. Phelps-Roper has since written an apology for her past and stated that she was amazed to find that the world was willing to give her a second chance.
The upcoming film will be produced by Dawn Ostroff and Jeremy Steckler of Condé Nast Entertainment, Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea for Made Up Stories, Marc Webb and River Road Entertainment's Bill Pohlad.
"When we read the New Yorker article about Megan's incredible journey, we knew that it was the perfect fit for CNE's film group," Ostroff and Steckler said. "Marc and Nick both have a powerful vision of how to tell Megan's story and we are very happy to be partnered with Reese, Bruna and Bill, who understand the importance of bringing this project to the big screen," they added.
The producers have not yet announced a scheduled start for production for the upcoming film, which will be financed by River Road.
Variety noted that the deal for the movie was negotiated by Christa Zofcin Workman for River Road with CAA representing CNÉ, Megan Phelps-Roper, Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea and Mark Webb.