‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Star Cast in Weinstein Investigation Film ‘She Said’

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor, Andre Braugher is set to star in the movie She Said, according to Variety. The movie is about The New York Times’ investigation into Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, sexual harassment allegations against whom played a huge part in prompting the #MeToo movement.

What is ‘She Said’ based on?

The movie She Said is based on the book She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement, written by journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. Twohey and Kantor led The New York Times’ investigation into Weinstein. In their book, they recall the meticulous yet difficult investigation into allegations against Weinstein. The investigation resulted in multiple articles on Weinstein’s wrongdoings and mistreatment of women which went on for years.

In the book, Twohey and Kantor, both investigative reporters, take the readers through a journey that started with their investigation, which took several months in 2017 and ends with a 2018 gathering of women, a good number of whom had shared their stories with the journalists to bring the truth about Weinstein out. 

In a lawsuit against Weinstein in New York City, the jury, in Feb. 2020, found him guilty of some of the criminal sexual assault charges levied against him. He was later sentenced to 23 years in prison. In another trial in LA, however, a Superior Court judge recently dismissed a sexual battery charge due to the expiry of the statute of limitations. Weinstein still faces 10 other charges of sexual assault in the ongoing trial.

The movie is a retelling of the book through the eyes of the journalists, Kantor and Twohey.

What role will Braugher play in the movie?

Braugher is slated to play the role of The New York Times Executive Editor, Dean Baquet’s role in the movie. As Kantor and Twohey’s boss and the man-in-charge at The Times, Baquet, the first Black editor at the newspaper, was instrumental in motivating and supporting his team of journalists to pursue a story as difficult as the women’s whom Weinstein harassed.

The journalists recall in the book an especially tense call between Baquet and Weinstein right before the article was published. They also detail the presence of Baquet in the tense meetings with Weinstein’s lawyers to get his comment on their stories and to wave off any chances of a lawsuit against the newspaper. 

Baquet, even while delegating to other editors in the newsroom, had the final say on what was published. In the intense days before publishing, he was involved in many major decisions taken, the writers recall in the book. “Baquet wanted to expose Weinstein, but correctly,” they wrote.

What else do we know about the film?

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan have been signed to play the reporters, Twohey and Kantor. Patricia Clarkson, the Easy A actor, has also joined the cast of the movie. 

Directed by Maria Schrader, the Emmy-winning director of the Netflix mini-series Unorthodox, the movie has begun production. Rebecca Lenkiewicz has written the script.

Annapurna Pictures and Plan B Entertainment, which optioned the rights to the book, are set as co-producers. While Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle will produce the movie for Annapurna, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner will do the same for Plan B. 

While the release date for the movie has not been set, the movie has already garnered much attention with the Weinstein trial still underway in LA.