Charlize Theron and Niki Caro are currently in the process of developing a feature film about female surfers for Netflix, with Theron’s production company Denver and Delilah backing the project. The film will be based on the New York Times Magazine article called “The Fight for Gender Equality in One of the Most Dangerous Sports on Earth.” Written by Daniel Duane, the article expounds on the lack of gender equality in big-wave surfing, and the real-life women who are fighting for inclusivity, Bianca Valenti, Andrea Moller, Paige Alms, and Keala Kennelly.
Most surfing movies that come to mind are more light-hearted or action-oriented flicks like Point Break or Johnny Tsunami, and most of these films also feature only male characters as the surfers. There are two notable exceptions that come to mind, both more about sharks than anything else — 2011’s Soul Surfer and The Shallows with Blake Lively. Theron and Caro’s film will be decidedly different, focusing on four women who come together as they fight for the right to compete in big-wave contests in a script written by Becky Johnston.
The currently untitled surfer film has a dynamic creative team with Theron, Caro, and Johnston, the latter of whom is credited with the screenplays for The Prince of Tides and Seven Years in Tibet. Caro is just coming off Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan, and has also directed The Zookeeper’s Wife, Whale Rider, and North Country (also starring Theron). Caro can next be seen directing and executive producing Amazon’s adaptation of the bestselling novel Daisy Jones & The Six.
Here’s hoping that Theron stars as one of the female characters in the movie, as the physicality of the sport and the emotional intensity of the story is sure to be right up her alley. Theron can soon be seen in theaters as Cipher in F9, and is also currently filming Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil as the dean of the school of evil. She is also attached to the sequel The Addams Family 2 as Morticia Addams, as well as a number of other projects as a producer.
No other news is known about the big-wave project as of yet, but we’ll keep you up-to-date on future announcements.