This Above All moves forward, gaining a director in Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man). The film is already being produced by Dawn Ostroff and Jeremy Steckler of Condé Nast Entertainment, Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea of Made Up Stories, and River Road Entertainment’s Bill Pohlad. Marc Webb will also produce while River Road fund the project.
This Above All tells the story of infamous Westboro Baptist Church defector Megan Phelps-Roper. Megan is the daughter of Shirley Phelps-Roper, whose father – Fred Phelps – was the church’s founder. Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, has become known for its homophobic public protests under the banner “God Hates Fags.”
Adrian Chen‘s 2015 article for The New Yorker and Megan Phelps-Roper’s upcoming memoir act as the source for Nick Hornby‘s script. Hornby has received Academy Award nominations for Brooklyn and Wild.
Chen’s article details how Twitter helped Megan go from a preaching poster child of the church, to someone who questioned the church thanks to interacting with people of different views. She subsequently left the church in 2012 with sister Grace.
Plenty more details are to come on the project, including production and release dates, as well as who will portray Phelps-Roper. Until then.
#Peace.Love.ThisAboveAll
