Emily Watson, Sandra Oh Join 33 LIBERTY LANE

Emily Watson, Sandra Oh, Nia Vardalos and Melora Hardin have been cast in a new film called 33 Liberty Lane, which is a comedy about four women who set up a phone sex company. A rom-com directed by British helmer Peter Hewitt (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) is being penned by Canadian writer Stephen Ayres for Australian shingle Tree and will be shot in June/July in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The femme comedy quartet play a group of four friends who set up a phone-sex business to help pay the bills; being unversed in the ways of the sex industry, they turn to a local prostitute to lend some expertise. Watson portrays mother and recently dumped wife Brenda, the 40-year-old virgin Karen is Oh, stalled corporate executive Connie is played by Hardin and Vardalos will be a serial marrier Isabella – they enlist the services of a local hooker to keep their new erotic business afloat. 33 Liberty Lane will be in Cannes next month, hoping to lock down distribution deals. Here's the press release:

Production News Production has been green-lighted on 33 Liberty Lane (formerly Love Shack), an Australian comedy about a group of middle aged women who set up a phone sex company. The ladies soon find themselves far too inexperienced to provide a satisfying experience and decide to hire a local prostitute for help. The film is to be directed by the UK's Peter Hewitt (Garfield, The Borrowers) and will star Emily Watson, Sandra Oh, Melora Hardin and Nia Vardalos. It is produced by Su Armstrong (Good Will Hunting) and Brian Rosen (Ferngully) of Australian production company TREE. The script was developed with finance from Screen NSW's Aurora screenwriting programme. 33 Liberty Lane will be shot in Winnipeg, Canada with the support of Manitoba Film & Music, and production company Buffalo Gal Pictures. Denmark's LevelK will handle international sales, opening it up to pre-sales in Cannes next month.