The Toronto International Film Festival is a good time to talk about future films as well as showcase the current crop of films. In the spirit of Crazy Rich Asians and Black Panther, we offer the following film proposal designed to highlight the amazing female talent in Canada.
This film has a bit of The Expendables (huge cast) and Ocean’s 8 (female-dominant cast) except they are on a peacekeeping mission (because they’re Canadians).
Like Bon Cop, Bad Cop, this film will freely mix English and French with a requirement that anglophone cast members be ready to speak a little French in the film.
The ringleaders should be played by Tatiana Maslany and Evelyne Brochu. They have previous chemistry in Orphan Black and represent the English and French that will dominate this film.
There will be larger and smaller roles for the team members. Even a small part is crucial to spotlight as much young female Canadian talent. Here are some of the names we would like to see in contention for the primary team members:
Ellen Page, Sarah Gadon, Charlotte Sullivan, Cara Gee, Julia Sarah Stone, Karelle Tremblay, Mylène Mackay, Sophie Nélisse, Ellen Wong, Emily Hampshire, Ksenia Solo, Andrea Bang, Karine Vanasse, Tattiawna Jones, Cobie Smulders, Amybeth McNulty, Samantha Wan, Tricia Helfer, Alison Pill, Jessica Pare, Caroline Dhavernas, Sarah Polley, Elyse Levesque, Annie Murphy, Rachel McAdams, Susan Kent, Rachelle Lefevre, Nazneen Contractor, Sonja Bennett, Dani Kind, Sandrine Holt, Sarah Podemski, and Mia Kirshner.
Some of these actresses may not be able to put that much time into this film due to their day jobs. We can work within their schedules, even if they are working on the film for only a day.
The film should have some scenarios where people have worked together such as Pill and Wong with Scott Pilgrim Saves the World or Vanasse and Brochu with Polytechnique.
There will be scenes with “older” veteran peacekeepers. Contenders for these roles will include Grace Park, Jennifer Podemski, Pascale Bussières, Liane Balaban, Molly Parker, Marie-Josée Croze, Jill Hennessy, Suzanne Clement, Sandra Oh, Neve Campbell, and Anne Dorval.
We could have a powerhouse ultimate “senior” person, someone such as Genevieve Bujold, Sheila McCarthy, Catherine O’Hara, Caroline Rhea, Tantoo Cardinal, Patricia Rozema, or Margaret Atwood. We should consider Atwood and Rozema for cameos if they aren’t picked for this role.
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The plot will be how well these women work together to provide peacekeeping for a crucial country in the world where the Canadian presence will improve their existence. Ideally, this would be a country where French would come in handy or be understood in this region.
While peacekeeping missions can be dangerous, we should not see any of the team members firing a weapon. They can be shot at, but hopefully none of them will die, unless dying would improve the film.
The action should be focused around camaraderie, lifting up rather than tearing down.
As for possible nudity, there shouldn’t be any. But having a scene where they almost get naked but laugh it off as not wanting to be sexist would be helpful for the spirit of the film. They can be encouraged to remove their bras though not on camera.
The actresses should be encouraged to expand their characters to give as much background as the plot will allow. They should also explore their actual Canadian backgrounds and talk more about where they are actually from. For example, Maslany’s character could be from Regina and Page’s character could be from Halifax. We might need an exception if an area of Canada is underrepresented (is anyone famous from New Brunswick?). There should be good-natured teasing about where people are from but make sure the jokes are even and not insult comedy. Bon Cop, Bad Cop sets a good tone as an example.
The title could be as simple as The Peacekeepers.
Writer(s) and the director should be female. Look to the production of Alias Grace as inspiration. Most of the scenes should pass the Bechdel test. The test could be referenced as a feminist insight.
If this project does get off the ground, I would like credit for the idea, a producer credit, and tickets for the opening night premiere of the film, especially if the film debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival.
photo credit: Orphan Black
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