Copyright Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is making her feature directorial debut with a documentary exploring the life and legacy of her fashion icon aunt Kate Spade, Deadline has learned. The documentary is being produced under a partnership between Brosnahan’s production banner Scrap Paper Pictures, Fisher Stevens’ Highly Flammable, and Words + Pictures. In addition to directing, Brosnahan is set to produce alongside Scrap Paper Pictures’ Jessie Jennison and Russell Kahn and Words + Pictures’ Connor Schell. Stevens, Maura Anderson, and Zak Kilberg from Highly Flammable, Libby Geist and Alexa Conway from Words + Pictures, and Andy Spade will serve as executive producers. “Rachel is a remarkably talented storyteller and she has the most personal of connections to Kate Spade’s powerful story,” said Schell of Words + Pictures. “We are thrilled to be working with her as she directs her first film.” Born in Kansas City, Missouri in December 1962, Spade was an iconic fashion designer and entrepreneur who launched a brand under her name following work for the magazine Mademoiselle early in her post-grad life. Having observed a gap in the market for stylish yet practical handbags, she and her husband/business partner Andy co-founded the label Kate Spade New York in 1993, rolling out six handbags as part of their first collection, when Kate Spade was just a boutique. Success begot success, and in the two decades that followed, her company expanded to become a global lifestyle brand involving accessories, clothing, home goods, and more. Spade sold a 56% stake in her business to Neiman Marcus in 1999, selling her remaining shares in 2006. While tragically, she took her own life in 2018, her designs remain cultural touchstones to this day. Prior credits for Brosnahan’s Scrap Paper Pictures include the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Amazon’s I’m Your Woman and two installments of Amazon’s Yearly Departed, with additional features and series in development across platforms. As an actress, she’s coming off a banner year with Superman ($615M WW), where she played Lois Lane, as well as 20th’s action-thriller The Amateur ($96M WW), where she starred opposite Rami Malek. Upcoming, she’ll be seen in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow and headline both the second season of Apple’s hit series Presumed Innocent and Netflix’s Saturn Return, opposite Charles Melton and Will Poulter. She is repped by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Schreck Rose Dapello.
