Rhino Films to Produce WONDER DRUG by Launch Pad Alum Caitlin McCarthy
0Launch Pad alum Caitlin McCarthy’s award-winning narrative feature screenplay WONDER DRUG is set to be produced by Stephen Nemeth of Rhino Films (‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’; and ‘The Sessions’) along with Vanessa Hope (the upcoming ‘Invisible Nation’; and Vanity Fair’s ‘Love is a Crime’ podcast) and Mike Ryan (‘Junebug’), and directed by Oscar-nominee Matia Karrell (‘Cadillac Dreams’; and ‘Behind the Red Door’).
Veteran casting director Fern Champion is also on board with ‘Wonder Drug.’ Lensing is anticipated to commence in Worcester, Massachusetts later this year.
Worcester, McCarthy’s hometown, has become a hotbed for major motion-picture and television projects including ‘Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever,’ ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘American Hustle,’ ‘The Tender Bar,’ ‘Confess, Fletch,’ and ‘Dexter: New Blood.’
Details with regard to the feature film’s plot are being kept under wraps. But ‘Wonder Drug’ tells the story of DES (diethylstilbestrol), the “hidden Thalidomide” prescribed to millions of pregnant women for decades, becoming one of the most devastating drug disasters in history.
‘Wonder Drug’ had its origins at the HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab, where it was selected as an Alfred. P. Sloan Foundation script as well as a live staged reading at the Hamptons International Film Festival starring Steve Guttenberg. ‘Wonder Drug’ was later promoted as a “Featured Script” on The Black List and an honoree on “The Bitch List.”
McCarthy is a DES Daughter and well-known American DES activist. On March 3, 2022, McCarthy appeared before members of Scottish Parliament in a pre-recorded video, sharing her experiences as a survivor of the DES drug disaster. McCarthy hopes Scotland will make history by issuing a formal apology for the Forced Adoption Scandal and also issuing the world’s first formal government apology for the DES drug disaster. In her video, she encouraged the Scottish government to also create an ongoing public campaign about DES in an effort to reach out to women and men exposed to DES, so they can be proactive in advocating for their future health.
Members of Scottish Parliament are now calling for an inquiry on the back of McCarthy’s video contribution on March 3, 2022.
McCarthy appeared as a finalist in the 2016 Launch Pad Pilot Competition with her original drama pilot FREE SKATE. She writes feature screenplays, one-hour teleplays, and essays. Her stories tackle political and social issues with a wink, blending humor with heartbreak while always staying focused on action. She is repped by Barry Krost of Barry Krost Management.