Byrne and Straight declined to disclose how much money they’ve put in, but Straight insists this isn’t a vanity project for her. "I've increased my investment level because I believe I'm going to make money on this film,” she says. Jimmy Lee, the storied dealmaker, offered ideas and brokered introductions for the film. Thomas graduated from Williams College, Lee’s alma mater, and he says he tries to help fellow grads who are trying to do something out of the ordinary. “I liked that they were getting dirt under their fingernails for this project,” Lee said during an interview in his Midtown Manhattan office, where he keeps a copy of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In on a book-laden coffee table.

The lead character encounters plenty of sexism and bad behavior—in a key plot twist, she is passed over for a promotion—but Thomas, whose husband has worked on Wall Street for 15 years, says she and Reiner don't intend to vilify bankers. "We didn't set out to make a movie that takes down Wall Street," she says.

The movie will be filmed in New York and Philadelphia, and the producers hope to screen it at the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in January. (Full disclosure: Bloomberg LP says it is in talks about an active partnership in the film, which could include licensing of Bloomberg TV clips or inclusion of Bloomberg terminals in the film.) Reiner and Thomas say they want the film to be released next year to coincide with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which is likely to feature a woman candidate.

But backer Byrne says she doesn't see Equity as a "female empowerment” movie, per se. "I wanted to support this script because it is women telling stories about women,” she says. “We need to see more of that type of dialogue."”
 

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