Juno star Ellen Page has signed
on to play lesbian in the big screen adaption of Freeheld,
Variety reported.
The 2008 Academy Award-winning
documentary tells the true story of a lesbian couple facing death
while battling a discriminatory government. Lieutenant Laurel Hester
is dying from lung cancer as she fights for the right to leave her
Ocean County, New Jersey police pension to her domestic partner,
Stacie Andree, who'll be played by Page.
Ron Nyswaner has signed on to adapt
Cynthia Wade's short documentary into a feature film. Nyswaner's
Philadelphia screenplay earned him an Oscar nomination. The
1993 drama featured Tom Hanks as an HIV+ gay man in his own gay
rights battle.
Producer James D. Stern called
Freeheld's story “powerful” and “subject matter that
will resonate with audiences” in announcing the project.