Sarah Ruhl to Pen Gloria Steinem Coming-of-Age Film; Julie Taymor Will Direct

Tony-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl is at work on the screenplay for a new film based on Gloria Steinem's bestselling memoir My Life on the Road. Tony winner Julie Taymor will direct the film set to follow the life of journalist and activist Steinem, who became known as a leader and spokesperson for the feminist movement in the 1960s and '70s.

"Gloria Steinem is, quite simply, a hero to me. I'd walk over coals to be in her orbit. It is one of the great honors of my life to be able to work on her story," Ruhl told Broadway.com. "Julie Taymor is likewise a hero. To be in this triumvirate of women telling a story of one of the great writers and activists of our time, and telling tales of her life on the road—does it get any better?"

The film will mark Ruhl's screenwriting debut. The prolific playwright who is currently represented off-Broadway with For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday is a Pulitzer finalist for In the Next Room (for which she received a Tony nomination). Ruhl also earned a Pulitzer nod for The Clean House. Her other stage works include Eurydice, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Orlando, Stage Kiss, The Oldest Boy, Dear Elizabeth and How to Transcend a Happy Marriage.

Taymor, who is directing an upcoming Broadway revival of M. Butterfly, is no stranger to the screen, having earned an Academy Award nomination (shared with Elliot Goldenthal) for the song "Burn It Blue" from Frida, which she also directed. Her other big-screen directing credits include Across the Universe, Titus and The Tempest. Taymor is a Tony winner for directing the long-running Broadway hit The Lion King. Her other Broadway credits include Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Green Bird and Juan Darien. Taymor is an Emmy winner (shared with Emi Wada) for the costume design on Oedipus Rex.

A release date for the film will be set at a later date.