Tony Award–winning Angels in America star Andrew Garfield and two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, The Help) will play husband-and-wife TV evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in the upcoming biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Based on the 2000 documentary film of the same title, Michael Showalter will direct the feature that has a script by Abe Silva.
This is the second biopic in the works for Garfield, who recently signed on to play classical pianist James Rhodes for Lionsgate later this year.
Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker (later Messner), who rose to prominence as the husband and wife televangelist hosts of TV's Praise the Lord Club from 1974 through 1987, were embroiled in a scandal that made national headlines when Bakker was accused of sexual assault and financial fraud involving hush money paid to his alleged victim. Messner famously stood by Bakker's side throughout the majority of the scandal, divorcing him years after Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison on 24 counts of fraud. She would go on to marry Roe Messner, who was himself convicted of bankruptcy fraud in 1996.
Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth is also attached to play Messner in an upcoming musical.
READ: Kristin Chenoweth on Why She's Bringing the Story of Tammy Faye Bakker to the Stage
