Mary Elizabeth Winstead is making it ‘Happen’

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 11, 2007

What isn’t Mary Elizabeth Winstead making happen these days? I know I’ve been moved by her ever since she starred in Sky High. And no, Ice Cube was not in that one. You may know her as the girl from cheap horror sequels and remakes such as The Ring Two, Final Destination 3 and Black Christmas. Most recently she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse and as John McClane’s daughter in Live Free or Die Hard. I know, she’s all over the place.

We got news yesterday that principal photography has begun on Ms. Winstead’s next project, Make It Happen . She plays Lauryn, “a young woman from a small town who moves to Chicago with dreams of entering the Chicago School of Music and Dance. But after rejection from the school and some other misfortunes she finds herself working in a burlesque club. The club proves a place of conflict and self-discovery, helping her to realize that while plans may change, dreams never do.”

Wait… A burlesque club? I’m in for this one. Think Step Up minus Channing Tatum, thank god, mixed with Showgirls. But it will probably have significantly less nudity. Either way, this gives Mary Elizabeth a chance to show off her dancing skills and cement herself into my list of future ex-wives. There she would join a Ms. Alba, a pre-coke habit Ms. Lohan and Ms. Naomi Watts. What can I say, I have a thing for older women.

Make It Happen also stars Tessa Thompson (Hidden Palms), Julissa Bermudez (The Startup) and Riley Smith (Radio). The film is being directed by Darren Grant (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and will be produced by The Mayhem Project and distributed by The Weinstein Company. Principal photography will take place from August 8 to September 17, 2007 in sunny Winnipeg, Manitoba.

On the Side: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a distant cousin of actress Ava Gardner, who was also pretty hot in her day.

| | Read more articles by Neil Miller