Searchlight Pictures has just dropped several key pictures about the upcoming Tammy Faye biopic. Starring Jessica Chastain (It Chapter Two, Salome, The Heiress) as the titular evangelist hero, the film will chronicle the rise and the downfall of Tommy Faye Baker and her husband, Jim, back in the 1970s.
So, what can fans expect from Jessica Chastain and the upcoming Eyes of Tammy Faye? Who will co-star her as Jim Bakker? How did she find a muse to portray such a charismatic character? How did the team find a way to overcome such complexity especially in transforming Chastain? When will it be released? Keep reading to find all the answers!
10 Jessica Chastain Will Portray The Charismatic Evangelist
As mentioned, The Eyes of Tammy Faye will see Jessica Chastain portraying the titular character, with Abe Sylvia penning the script. If you're unfamiliar with the name, she garnered a Golden Globe for Zero Dark Thirty in addition to her long laundry list of movie projects such as It: Chapter Two, Molly's Game, and Miss Sloane.
9 Jessica Also Serves As A Producer, Alongside Director Michael Showalter
The actress also serves as one of the movie's directors alongside Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, and Kelly Carmichael. Michael Showalter halts the director seat and Abe Sylvia wrote the screenplay.
For the actress, The Eyes of Tammy Faye isn't the only project she's been eyeing at the moment. Chastain is set to reunite with Ralph Fiennes in The Forgiven and will co-star Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong'o in the upcoming femme-fatale spy film, The 355.
8 Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, & Vincent D'Onofrio Are Set To Join The Cast
This is where it gets interesting. In addition to Chastain, several big Hollywood names are set to join the cast: Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, and Vincent D'Onofrio are to name a few. Garfield plays Jim Bakekr, while Jones takes Rachel LaValley's role and D'Onofrio puts in Jerry Falwell's shoes. There's also a newcomer Chandler Head, playing as the younger version of the TV evangelist.
7 It Will Chronicle The Rise & The Fall Of Tammy Faye & Jim Bakker
As the title of the movie suggests, The Eyes of Tammy Faye will detail the rise and fall of the Bakkers. The two were heavily adorned in public eyes back in the 1970s before scandal after scandal hit Jim Bakker, including the time when he offered hush money to shut his secretary, Jessica Hahn, for alleged rape.
6 Jessica Chastain Did Years Of Research For The Role
Transforming into such a character is no easy task, and that's why Chastain completed nearly ten years of research to catch up on everything about Tammy Faye: interviews, articles, books, everything.
"The thing I loved the most about Tammy is her capacity to love. She knew what it felt like to not feel important, and she didn't want anyone to experience that," she spoke to People about her admiration.
5 She Went The Extra Mile To Portray The TV Personality
It will be interesting to see how the make-up team went the extra mile to strike an uncanny resemblance between Jessica and Tammy. According to the actress herself, the transformation took a lot to apply prosthetics, wigs, and tons of intense makeup.
"I have a dimple in my chin that she didn't have, so we would seal that up. Her face was more round than mine, so I would have things on my cheeks. Their expertise just helped me so much with my confidence in playing her," the actress said, as reported by People.
4 The Production Process Started Back In 2019
The movie's production started all the way back in 2019 ,when Variety exclusively revealed that Chastain and Garfield are set to star as the Bakkers. It will be based on the 2000 aforementioned documentary of the same name and take its audience to her journey from a humble beginning to creating one of the world's biggest religious stations and a theme park.
3 Michael Showalter Also Created 'The Baxter' & The 'Wet Hot American Summer' Franchises
Fans shouldn't be worried, because Michael Showalter is one of Hollywood's leading directors. Before this project, the New Jersey director was shot to stardom for being one of the cast members of MTV's The State before creating the Wet Hot American Summer franchise with David Wain. In addition to that, the Brown University alumnus also directed The Big Sick (2017) and The Lovebirds (2020).
2 Chastain Will Be Doing Her Own Singing In The Film
Yes, Chastain will sing all the songs by herself and make her singing debut on the big screen with The Eyes of Tammy Faye. In fact, she has already pre-recorded everything.
"I did seven songs," said the actress. "I worked with Dave Cobb, who’s the producer who did the ‘A Star Is Born’ [soundtrack]. That was super scary."
1 Searchlight Pictures Is Eyeing For September 2021 Release Date
As of this writing, Searchlight Pictures, as the studio, is eyeing for September 17, 2021 release. We have our fingers crossed to not see any more delays, but in the meantime, you can also tune into the 2000 documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye, narrated by the one-and-only drag queen RuPaul Charles.