Two Women Get Directing Gigs - Drew Barrymore and Jerusha Hess

Drew Barrymore and Jerusha Hess (the co-writer of Napoleon Dynamite) have both signed up for directing gigs. Barrymore will produce and direct Heist Society to be adapted by Shauna Cross (Whip It). The film will be produced Denise DiNovi, Alison Greenspan and will be released by Warner Brothers. It is based on the novel by Ally Carter. Barrymore will direct this film after she directs How To Be Single.

Here's the description:

The book follows a young woman named Katarina Bishop who hails from an extended family of cat burglars and master thieves. The girl leaves her illicit life behind, but when her father is the prime suspect in the case of a mobster's missing art collection, she assembles a crew to track down the art and steal it back.

Writer Jerusha Hess will make her directorial debut with Austenland. Stephenie Meyer (yes, the Twilight writer) will produce and finance the film.

Here's the description:

...centers on a single, thirtysomething woman with a secret obsession with Mr. Darcy -- as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The obsession is ruining her love life because no real man can compare. When she decides to spend her life savings on a trip to an English resort catering to Jane Austen-crazed women, the woman's fantasy of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman becomes more real than she could have imagined.

Shannon Hale wrote the book and she co-wrote the script with Hess. Shooting starts this week in the UK/

Jerusha Hess to Direct Romantic Comedy with 'Twilight' Author Stephenie Meyer Producing (Exclusive) (Hollywood Reporter)

Drew Barrymore to Produce and Direct Young-Adult Thriller 'Heist Society' (Exclusive) (Hollywood Reporter)