A biopic about the deafblind activist Hellen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan is on the way, and it just found its leads. Millicent Simmonds will take on the role of the famous disability rights advocate, while Rachel Brosnahan will be in charge of playing her committed yet controlling teacher.
Helen & Teacher will be set during Keller’s time at Radcliffe College of Harvard University when her bond with Sullivan was tested time and time again. Her rapidly expanding worldview and sexual awakening put her into conflict with her more conservative teacher, and their relationship was never the same again.
This promising biopic will be directed by Wash Westmoreland (Still Alice), who’s excited about making a film that shows Keller’s relevance, brilliance, and unbreakable spirit, and explores her life from a different angle.
“Most people only know of Helen Keller’s story from when she was a child. Helen & Teacher will look at her as a young adult when she developed a radical, world-changing political voice,” said Westmoreland in a statement.
Helen & Teacher is a deeply personal project for Millicent Simmonds, who happens to be Keller’s distant relative. She rose to prominence with the roles in A Quiet Place movies, while Rachel Brosnahan is best known for her Emmy-winning turn in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
