'Dreamgirls' and 'Chicago' Writer/Director Bill Condon to Collaborate with Laura Linney

Bill Condon, writer and director of the blockbuster movie musicals "Dreamgirls" and "Chicago," adapted from the hit Broadway shows, is confirmed to direct "The C Word," Showtime's new pilot starring Laura Linney.  

Condon directed Linney in her Oscar-nominated supporting role in "Kinsey" in 2004. "The C Word," from Sony TV and Original Film, stars Linney as a suburban wife and mother who has recently been diagnosed with cancer and who tries to make the most of her terminal situation.

The pilot is written by Darlene Hunt, who is also executive producing with Neal H. Moritz, Vivian Cannon and Linney herself.

In addition to writing and directing the Oscar nominated hits "Dreamgirls" and "Chicago," Condon won an Oscar for writing "Gods and Monsters." Condon made his directorial debut with "Sister, Sister" (1987), an eerie Southern Gothic mystery starring Eric Stoltz and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Following this, Condon made a series of made-for-TV thrillers, including "Murder 101" (1991), which starred Pierce Brosnan and earned Condon and co-writer Roy Johansen a 1992 Edgar Award for their screenplay. During this period he also wrote the screenplay for the thriller "F/X2" (1991), which was directed by Aussie director Richard Franklin and "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" (1995).  In 2004 Condon was Oscar nominated again for writing and directing "Kinsey." He is a member of the Independent Feature Projects (IFP) in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization which supports independent films, as well as the Independent Writers Steering Committee, which was initiated by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Laura Linney's Broadway and stage credits include: HEDDA GABLER (for which she won a 1994 Joe A. Callaway Award), HOLIDAY (based on the 1938 movie starring Katharine Hepburn), THE CRUCIBLE, for which she scored a Best Actress Tony nomination in 2002 and SIGHT UNSEEN (also Tony nominated).  In 2000, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the lower-budget film "You Can Count on Me," which launched into the Hollywood consciousness. The same year, she also appeared in the role of an artist's model in the low-budget, critically praised film "Maze with Rob Morrow." In 2003, Linney appeared in several notable films, including "Mystic River," "Love Actually" and "The Life of David Gale." Her 2004 performance in "Kinsey," as the title character's wife, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2005, Linney starred in horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and the comedy-drama "The Squid and the Whale;" for the latter role, she received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy". She appeared alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Savages," earning a third Oscar nomination. In 2008, Linney won an Emmy Award, in addition to a Golden Globe and SAG award for her portrayal of AbiGail Adams in the HBO mini-series John Adams.

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