Global independent studio Black Bear will distribute and produce “Jonah,” the feature adaptation of Rachel Bonds’ acclaimed Off-Broadway play and the feature directorial debut of Tony Award winner Danya Taymor. Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Greta Lee is set to star alongside Golden Globe nominee Cooper Hoffman, Edmund Donovan, and Hagan Oliveras, who reprises the titular role he held in the Off-Broadway production. Taymor reunites with Bonds following their New York Times Critics’ Pick production of “Jonah,” which earned both an Obie Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for performance, and a Drama League Award nomination. Fresh off her Tony Award-winning direction of “The Outsiders” and ahead of her highly anticipated Off-Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening,” Taymor directs from a screenplay by Bonds, adapted from her Laurents/Hatcher Award-winning play. Academy Award winner Tom McCarthy and Rae Baron of Slow Pony will produce, with production set to begin in September. Black Bear holds worldwide rights to the film and will introduce the project to international buyers at TIFF.

“‘Jonah’ is the rare story that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant,” said Michael Heimler, President of Productions and Operations for Black Bear. “Rachel and Danya have crafted an unforgettable exploration of memory, intimacy, and survival that is as emotionally powerful as it is cinematic. Greta Lee is the perfect actor to bring Ana’s journey to life, and we’re thrilled to welcome this extraordinary film to Black Bear’s slate.”

“I first saw ‘Jonah’ during its Off-Broadway run and immediately felt it had to be a film,” said Rae Baron, Head of Development and Production at Slow Pony. “Rachel’s writing is extraordinarily grounded and accessible yet specific, and the play’s construction is as ambitious as it is moving — Danya Taymor’s signature. We’ve been determined to bring ‘Jonah’ to the screen ever since, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Black Bear and the wonderful Greta Lee and Cooper Hoffman to bring Rachel and Danya’s vision to audiences worldwide.”

When a flood of memories forces Ana (Lee) to revisit the defining relationships of her life, she must confront the truth behind the stories she’s long told herself. Spanning two decades and three transformative relationships, Jonah is a haunting portrait of love, trauma, and resilience that explores how we make sense of the experiences that shape us.

Taymor became the youngest woman ever to win the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for “The Outsiders.” She most recently earned a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Play for “John Proctor Is the Villain,” starring Sadie Sink, which is now in development as a feature at Universal with Taymor attached to direct. Her upcoming theater work includes directing the highly anticipated Off-Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening” and “Born in the Dirt” at Lincoln Center Theater, reuniting her with Tony-nominated playwright Kimberly Belflower.

Rachel Bonds is an acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and writer for scripted podcasts. In addition to the Laurents/Hatcher Award, she has received the L. Arnold Weissberger Award, the Sky Cooper Prize, and the Heideman Award. Beyond Jonah, her recent projects include The Lonely Few, with music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, which ran at MCC Theater and The Geffen Playhouse, and the scripted series “The Boar’s Nest,” starring Mandy Moore, for Audible. Her plays have been produced or developed by Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, Ars Nova, MCC Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and many others.

Lee earned Golden Globe and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations for her breakthrough performance in Celine Song’s Academy Award-nominated “Past Lives.” Her film credits also include the recent smash hit “Toy Story 5,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite,” Jason Moore’s hit comedy “Sisters,” and the Academy Award-winning “Spider-Verse” franchise. Lee was nominated for an Emmy for her role in the hit Apple TV series “The Morning Show,” with other television credits including “Russian Doll,” “Chance,” “New Girl,” and “Girls.” Her upcoming work includes starring in the third “Spider-Verse” film, starring opposite Wagner Moura in Louis Leterrier’s Netflix horror feature “The Last House,” Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” starring opposite Willem Dafoe, and writing and directing “The Eyes Are the Best Part,” a film adaptation of Monika Kim’s bestseller.

Cooper Hoffman is currently starring in Gregg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex,” opposite Olivia Wilde. Next, he stars in Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” for Neon, Maude Apatow’s “Poetic License” for Sony Pictures Classics, as well as “The Chaperones” opposite David Jonsson for A24. Hoffman recently wrapped production on Hulu’s drama series “Durango.” Hoffman is repped by WME.

Donovan’s breakout performance in Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” opposite Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, earned critical praise following the film’s premieres at last year’s Venice and New York Film Festivals and recent theatrical release. Named one of Variety’s “10 Actors to Watch” for 2025, he recently wrapped production as the male lead on “The Nightingale,” TriStar’s feature adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s global bestseller, starring opposite Dakota and Elle Fanning, set to release at the beginning of 2027. Other notable credits include Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies,” Apple Original Films’ “Echo Valley” opposite Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore, and A24’s “Civil War” alongside Kirsten Dunst.

In addition to originating the role of “Jonah” in Taymor’s Off-Broadway production, Oliveras collaborated with Taymor on the Broadway production of “John Proctor Is the Villain,” which was nominated for seven Tony Awards. Oliveras made his Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated revival of “Our Town.” He has also been seen in Hulu’s “Furious” and “American Horror Stories.”

Three-time Film Independent Spirit Award nominee Hélène Louvart will serve as Director of Photography for “Jonah.” Louvart’s credits include “La Chimera,” “The Lost Daughter,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “The Salt Path,” “Murina,” and “Beach Rats.”

Black Bear is the global studio behind such acclaimed hits as “Train Dreams,” “Sing Sing,” and “The Imitation Game.” “Jonah” is the latest addition to the studio’s domestic release slate, after it launched its U.S. distribution business in July 2025. The domestic operation expands a multinational theatrical business that was already an industry leader in the U.K., Ireland, and Canada, where subsidiary Elevation Pictures is the top independent theatrical distributor. The domestic division aims to release up to twelve theatrical titles per year, with a curated slate of filmmaker-driven fare and wide-release action and genre movies.

Black Bear’s releases through the end of the year include Sundance breakout “Wicker,” starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage, on October 23. The studio’s upcoming slate also includes David Leitch’s “Jason Statham Stole My Bike,” starring the titular Jason Statham and Hannah Waddingham, releasing August 6, 2027; Julia Cox’s “A Woman in the Sun,” starring Academy Award winners Renée Zellweger and Sissy Spacek alongside Mia Threapleton; and Guy Ritchie’s “Wife & Dog” (w/t), starring Academy Award nominees Benedict Cumberbatch and Rosamund Pike and Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins.

Taymor is represented by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Bonds by CAA, Curate, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; Lee by UTA, Entertainment 360, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Hoffman by WME; Donovan by UTA, Entertainment 360, and Lichter Grossman Nichols; Oliveras by Artists & Representatives and Mara Entertainment; and Louvart by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Slow Pony is represented by Gersh.

The deal was negotiated by Black Bear with Gersh and UTA Independent Film Group

About Black Bear
Black Bear is one of the world’s leading independent studios, producing, financing, and distributing film and television content around the world. Founded in 2011, with offices in Santa Monica and London, the studio is behind a diversified slate that blends critically acclaimed, filmmaker-driven fare with broadly commercial action and genre titles. The company directly distributes films in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Canada, where subsidiary Elevation Pictures is the territory’s top independent distributor. Black Bear’s original films include Academy Award nominees “Train Dreams,” “The Imitation Game,” “Sing Sing,” “Nyad,” and “Mudbound,” as well as Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” J Blakeson’s “I Care a Lot,” and David Ayer’s “A Working Man.” Via its international sales business, Black Bear has sold films including Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs” and “The Monkey,” and upcoming films including Marc Forster’s “Anxious People,” starring Angelina Jolie, Aimee Lou Wood, and Jason Segel. The company’s distribution operations in the U.K. and Canada have been behind Academy Award and BAFTA winners including Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” and Sean Baker’s “Anora.”