‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ Director Lining Up Janis Joplin Biopic

After taking Martha Marcy May Marlene to Sundance in 2011, the film generated a lot of buzz, but not enough to hit the awards circuit, despite a great directorial debut by Sean Durkin (he earned Best Director at the festival) and a breakthrough performance by Elizabeth Olsen, the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Well, Durkin is moving on to his sophomore effort now, and it sounds like he’ll be giving another actress a big break as Deadline reports Nina Arianda (who can be seen in small supporting roles in films like Win Win and Midnight in Paris) will play 60’s rock icon Janis Joplin in the aptly titled biopic Joplin. It likely will pale in comparison to Jenna Maroney’s unauthorized biopic Jackie Jormp-Jomp from “30 Rock,” but Durkin’s film is only looking at the final six months of the singer’s life with some flashbacks to early points in her career. …