Evan Rachel Wood Joins Cheerleading Film ‘Backspot’

Evan Rachel Wood has signed on for Backspot, where she’ll play the role of Eileen McNamara, a professional cheer coach.

The news of Wood, 35, signing on to the D.W. Waterson-directed flick, comes as the project is rumored to be wrapping with principal production after weeks of filming in Toronto.

The film stars Devery Jacobs and Kudakwashe Rutendo in the lead roles as queer young athletes. They’ll portray mid-level cheerleaders Riley and Amanda, who find themselves pulled from their team to join McNamara’s high-performance Thunderhawks squad.

Elliot Page is on board the project as an executive producer. Matthew Jordan Smith, J.C. Davidson, and Katisha Shaw will serve as executive producers alongside Page.

D.W. Waterson Comments on Evan Rachel Wood’s Involvement

“‘Backspot’ has been five years in the making. And now that we’ve completed production, we can say with all confidence that we have created something very special,” Waterson says. “Having Evan join the cast was a fantasy fulfilled as she was who we wanted for the role of Eileen from inception. We feel so privileged to have worked with the caliber of talent Evan exemplifies alongside the rest of our cast and dedicated crew.”

“Every single person involved left it all on the mat and we are eternally grateful,” Waterson adds.

“The importance of excellence in queer storytelling has never been more necessary and attracting a dream cast which includes the transcendent genius that is Evan Rachel Wood is a testament to the quality of the ‘Backspot’ production,” Jordan Smith, head of development and production at Page Boy Productions, also adds, commenting on Wood’s addition to the cast.

“The depth of Evan’s multidimensional talent and her natural raw power are essential to bringing her character Eileen to life. From the script to execution, we are incredibly proud to be producing ‘Backspot’ as one of the first projects under the Page Boy banner.” Smith continues.

There’s no word yet on a release date for Backspot. But we’ll keep you posted as more details on the project surface.