Cate Blanchett is set to star as Martha Stewart in The Good Thing, an upcoming biopic about the lifestyle media mogul’s career, Variety has confirmed. “Zora” director Janicja Bravo will direct the project.
During a red carpet interview at the New York gala screening of Brunello: The Elegant Visionary, Stewart was asked about his thoughts on being given the biopic treatment, and he told Variety that he had “heard rumors” that something was already in the works starring Blanchett. She revealed that the working title is “Good Thing.” The title references Stewart’s famous catchphrase, “It’s a Good Thing.”
Throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, Stewart operated at the pinnacle of lifestyle media, writing multiple best-selling books and hosting her own Emmy Award-winning show, “Martha Stewart Living.” This half-hour DIY and cooking show shares its title with her popular magazine, which reached its peak circulation in 2002 with more than 2 million copies per issue. After her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia conglomerate went public in 1999, she became America’s first self-made billionaire.
In late 2001, Stewart found himself under legal scrutiny after selling his shares in ImClone Systems and escaping a loss of about $45,000. The day after her sale, ImClone’s stock price fell 16%. Ms. Stewart’s stockbroker, Peter Bacanovich, tipped her off to nonpublic material about the health of her stock, which she denied to federal investigators. In 2004, Stewart was embroiled in a highly publicized trial over the sale. She was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction, and two counts of lying to federal agents. She served five months in prison and was released on supervised release for two years.
Blanchett last starred in Jim Jarmusch’s family drama Father Mother Sister Brother, which won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. The two-time Oscar winner seems like a natural fit for Stewart, as she often brings a maternal yet fierce fire to her roles. Blanchett can next be seen in David Zellner’s sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang and Alice Birch’s psychological drama Sweet Sick.
The project was written by Ricky Tolman and produced by Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini, Randy Manis and Neil Dodson of Dirty Films.
Bravo ranked him on Variety’s list of 10 Directors to Watch for 2020 for Zola. The film earned Bravo nominations for Best Picture and Best Director at the Independent Spirit Film Awards. She directed episodes of “Poker Face,” “In Treatment,” and “Mrs. America.” She also directed all episodes of the BBC exclusive “The Listeners,” starring Rebecca Hall, which will be released later this year on Starz.
Bravo could also be in the Emmy conversation this season for directing the “Worm” episode of “The Bear.”
Blanchett is represented by CAA.
