Sandra Bullock is set to play marketing pioneer Brownie Wise in Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Tupperware Unsealed, Sony Pictures announced Friday.
Taylor — whose latest credits include The Help and Get On Up — will write and direct the yet-untitled film, which is based on Bob Kealing’s nonfiction book about the woman who concocted the Tupperware party marketing strategy.
“As a writer-director, Tate has the rare and delicate ability to capture both the romanticism and restrictions of a time and place — in this case 1950s suburban America,” said Hannah Minghella, the president of production at Sony. “His characters are both immediately recognizable while also uniquely iconic.”
The book tells the story of Wise, “the driving force behind making Tupperware a household name” and the first woman to appear on the cover of Business Week. The 50s-housewife-turned-businesswoman’s “party plan” marketing strategy was to sell products by inviting friends and acquaintances to social events, accompanied by a presentation of her products.
Sandra Bullock will bring the story of Tupperware parties to the big screen http://t.co/Z1rCZnKqfk
— moviefone (@moviefone) July 23, 2014
“Sandy and I have been trying to work together for years,” Tate added in the statement. “Finally, I’m very excited to put Tupperware in her hands. This is a collaborative dream come true.”
According to Deadline Hollywood, the story will focus on Wise’s start and include tensions between the businesswoman and Tupperware founder, Earl Silas Tupper.
Brownie Wise, the first VP of Sales for #Tupperware US, was the first woman to be on the cover of @BW Magazine. #tbt pic.twitter.com/AAuQaePT08
— Tupperware US & CA (@Tupperwareusca) May 2, 2013
Tupper hired Wise in 1951, but tensions rose when she started getting so much attention for her Tupperware parties. He later fired her after other companies wanted to buy him as sales increased because of her strategy. Apparently, Tupper believed that having a woman executive would make the company less attractive to potential buyers. He sold the company for $16M and gave Wise a mere $35,000.
Sandra Bullock Tupperware Movie Acquired by Sony Pictures http://t.co/5qSRx6QcMH
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 18, 2014
Other projects in the works for the Gravity actress include voicing Scarlett Overkill in The Minions and co-starring with Melissa McCarthy in The Heat 2.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
