Benson began his film career writing , directing and acting in shorts . After the premiere of the short film '' Four Lean Hounds '' at the Malibu Film Festival , he met Jessica Chastain , who asked him to work on future projects . Together , they worked on their 2010 short film '' The Westerner '' . Benson directed their feature film '' The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby '' . After Chastain asked questions about Rigby 's background , Benson wrote another script devoted entirely to her perspective . In 2012 , Chastain was officially cast for the film . It was shot as two films simultaneously . Both films premiered together at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival under the title '' The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby : Him and Her '' Benson later edited the films into one film '' The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby : Them '' which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival . It was given a limited release in September 2014 by The Weinstein Company . On January 16 , 2019 , Benson was confirmed as screenwriter for the upcoming Marvel Studios film '' Black Widow '' , assuming the position of Jac Schaeffer
2014 Cannes Film Festival
2014 Cannes Film Festival
Ned Benson