Inhalt:

Meet Bliss Cavendar, a blue haired, indie-rock loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas. Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Blue Bonnet crown, but Bliss would rather feast on roaches than be subjected to such rhinestone tyranny.

Bliss' escape? Take up Roller Derby.

When she discovers a league in nearby Austin, Bliss embarks on an epic journey full of hilarious tattooed girls, delicious boys in bands, and a few not-so-awesome realities even the most bad-assed derby chick has to learn.

Fakten:

• Ellen wurde für mehrere Monate von der ehemaligen TXRD Skaterin Smother Teresa in Los Angeles trainiert
• Die Schauspieler wie Drew und Ellen haben viele Spiele der L.A. Derby Dolls angeschaut und auch mit ihnen trainiert

Kommentare:

• “Ellen Page was quiet and seemed very focused. Her training on the track has paid off -- she's a pretty good skater!”
  Zitat aus dem Bericht einer Laiendarstellerin vom Filmset (Quelle: blog.mlive.com)

Informationen von Mandate Pictures:

Drew Barrymore will direct Ellen Page in Whip It – a comedy set in the raucous world of roller derby. The movie was written by L.A.-based derby star Shauna Cross (aka Maggie Mayhem) and is being produced by two-time Oscar nominated producer Barry Mendel as well as Barrymore’s Flower Films for Mandate Pictures, the company behind the current Ellen Page hit, Juno. Shooting begins in Austin this summer. The ensemble cast will be put together by casting directors Kim Davis and Justine Baddelly (Adaptation, Where The Wild Things Are); Dylan Tichenor (Boogie Nights, The Royal Tenenbaums) will edit. Whip It will be executive produced by Peter Douglas, Flower Films partner Nancy Juvonen and Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith along with Mandate’s Nathan Kahane. Nicole Brown and Mary Lee will be overseeing the project for Mandate.

Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a girl stuck in a dead-end town outside of Austin, who sneaks off to skate in the big-time Austin derby league. "I really admire how Drew constantly challenges herself as an artist," said Page. "She's proven herself as an actress and a producer, and I have no doubt she'll bring great vision and creativity to the director's chair. I can't wait to kick ass on wheels!” Barrymore added, “I’ve been working towards the goal of directing my entire life. Whip It is a story that really spoke to me, I feel like the heart and soul as well as the message is very true to me and yet it still has aspects that will challenge me. I couldn’t be more honored to work with the phenomenal Ellen Page, she’s so incredibly unique, it’s a privilege to get in the ring with her.” Mendel says, "I’ve tended to work with directors in the early stages of their career, and I can already tell Drew is going to be a terrific one. She’s inspired, knowledgeable and like the best, pouring herself heart and soul into it." “I have long admired Drew’s comedic sensibility, and her films have proven to hold tremendous appeal, largely due to her cachet as an actor and her sharp instincts as a producer,” stated Kahane. “We are thrilled to work with such an amazingly talented team. It is a rarity to have such a strong character driven coming of age story that also works as a jubilant sports comedy.” Page can currently be seen in Jason Reitman’s critically acclaimed Juno, for which she has received numerous accolades. This includes nominations for many awards, including the Golden Globes, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards. She will next be seen in Noam Murro’s Smart People, opposite Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Hayden Church. She is repped by WMA and Kish Iqbal at Gary Goddard Agency.

Mendel has produced some of the groundbreaking films of the last decade including Rushmore, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Serenity and Munich. Most recently, Mendel re-united with Shyamalan for 20th Century Fox’s The Happening starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo. Flower Films, founded by Barrymore and Juvonen in 1995, has produced a number of hit films over the past decade including Never Been Kissed, Charlie’s Angels, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Donnie Darko and Fifty First Dates. Flower Films will next release the highly anticipated comedy, He’s Just Not That Into You, due to hit theaters in 2008.