Director Mimi Leder on Wednesday said that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “loves” the upcoming biopic On the Basis of Sex, in which Felicity Jones plays the justice.
“Madame Justice loves the movie. Her nephew wrote it and she approved the script. Her reviews of Ms. Jones were magnificent,” said Leder during a Focus Features luncheon at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
On the Basis of Sex will begin a limited run in theaters on Nov. 9, the heart of awards season, and will also be timed to Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court. Jones portrays Ginsburg as a crusading young attorney in the 1970s who, along with her husband, fights to bring a groundbreaking gender discrimination case before a federal appeals court.
Ginsburg makes a cameo in the film, which was written by her nephew, Daniel Stiepleman.
“The film is more relevant now than ever,” Leder said before she and Jones shared footage of the movie. Jones added that Ginsburg reminds her of the iconic film character Rocky Balboa. “She reminds me of Rocky,” she explained, “in that she is a fighter and never gives up.”
In January, Ginsburg stole the spotlight at the Sundance Film Festival when she popped in for the premiere of RBG, the documentary about her storied legal career that is due out May 4 via Magnolia and will eventually air on CNN.
