Saoirse Ronan stars in the actress and writer's directorial debut "Lady Bird."

With “Lady Bird,” brainy actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig is finally making her solo directorial debut after her collaborations with Noah Baumbach on “Frances Ha” and “Mistress America” and co-directing “Nights and Weekends” with Joe Swanberg.

The relationship comedy stars Saoirse Ronan as Christine McPherson (Lady Bird, no relationship with the wife of LBJ), a rebellious student at a conservative Catholic Sacramento high school who wants to escape her family and small town constraints to go to college in New York.

Co-stars include Laurie Metcalf, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts, Timothée Chalamet, and Beanie Feldstein.

Gerwig is selling the movie to A24 to release worldwide. Producers are Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, and Evelyn O’Neill, and a planned fall berth suggests festival play and awards contention. Ronan has been Oscar-nominated twice, as Best Actress for “Brooklyn” and Supporting Actress for “Atonement.”

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