2018 Oscar winning actress Allison Janney looks set to reunite with her I, Tonya co-star Margot Robbie in a new Annapurna Pictures project that dramatizes the real-life fight against sexual harassment and toxic male culture at Fox News.
Janney is attached to portray lawyer Susan Estrich, who in the wake of multiple workplace sexual harassment accusations became a prominent legal figure in the controversies surrounding Roger Ailes and Fox News. The casting positions Janney within a film that aims to explore how several women at the network confronted long‑standing patterns of abuse and a male‑dominated workplace culture.
In addition to Janney, the ensemble already includes several high-profile actors: Charlize Theron is set to play former Fox host Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman will portray former anchor Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie has been tapped to play one of the network’s associate producers. John Lithgow has been confirmed to take on the role of Roger Ailes. With these announcements, Janney becomes the fifth cast member publicly attached to the project, while Annapurna continues to seek notable talent for other roles such as Greta Van Susteren, Bill O’Reilly and Rupert Murdoch.
The film, currently untitled, is scripted by Charles Randolph, the screenwriter behind The Big Short, and will be directed by Jay Roach, whose credits include Trumbo (2015). Both Randolph and Roach are serving as producers on the project, as is Charlize Theron through her Denver & Delilah production company alongside Beth Kono and AJ Dix. Margaret Riley is also listed among the producers. This combination of experienced dramatists and producers suggests a focus on sharp writing and a character-driven approach to a story rooted in contemporary media and legal drama.
Although the movie has not yet announced a release date, it is positioned as one of Annapurna’s next major features. The studio expects the film to follow its other anticipated political and biographical projects. In particular, Annapurna is also developing Backseat, a Dick Cheney biopic directed by Adam McKay, with Christian Bale attached to play Cheney and Sam Rockwell slated as George W. Bush. That project and the Fox News drama indicate Annapurna’s continued interest in high‑profile, politically charged narratives centered on influential public figures.
The subject matter of the Fox News film is sensitive and timely. The network’s harassment scandal involved public accusations by multiple former employees, and the resulting investigations and lawsuits attracted significant media attention. Any dramatization must balance factual accuracy with dramatic storytelling; the involvement of writers and producers like Randolph and Roach, who have experience adapting complex real-world events for the screen, suggests the filmmakers intend a careful, cinematic treatment of the events and the people involved.
For audiences and industry observers, the film will be notable not only for its cast but for its attempt to capture how workplace power dynamics, particularly in high-pressure media environments, can enable misconduct. The casting of established performers such as Janney, Theron, Kidman and Lithgow signals an emphasis on strong, performance-driven scenes that explore both the public and private dimensions of the scandal, including the legal battles, media scrutiny and personal repercussions for those who spoke out.
As development continues, Annapurna’s search for additional cast members and the production schedule will clarify the film’s scope and release timeline. Until then, announcements like Janney’s casting provide an early indication of the film’s direction: a dramatic, star-driven account of one of the most prominent media workplace controversies of recent years.