Posts with tag KenKwapis
Jennifer Aniston is 'Just Not That Into You'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », New Line »
It has been a depressing month. First Scott told me that Jennifer Connelly is just not that into me. And today the Hollywood Reporter informs me that Jennifer Aniston feels the same way. In He's Just Not That Into You, Miss Aniston will play a role just bursting with originality -- "a woman in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who will not commit to marriage." Aniston joins one of the most attractive casts in recent memory. You've got the previously mentioned Jennifer Connelly, Entourage's "E" Kevin Connolly (that's going to get confusing on set), Bradley Cooper (the jerk boyfriend in Wedding Crashers), Justin Long (who should be commended for not ruining Live Free or Die Hard), Ginnifer Goodwin (the youngest wife on Big Love, I've got a huge crush on her), and Drew Barrymore (you know who Drew Barrymore is, right?).
Barrymore is also a co-producer on the film, which will be directed by Ken Kwapis (director of License to Wed - boo! But also several episodes of The Office - yay!). The script was written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (writers of Barrymore's Never Been Kissed, which I enjoyed more than I expected to). It is based on the wildly popular book by ex-Sex and the City writers Liz Tuccillo and Greg Behrendt (if you never saw Behrendt's daytime talk show, you're a luckier person than I). It's good to see Aniston returning to romantic comedy after...oh wait, that's pretty much all she does. She does it well though. After Rumor Has It almost caused me to walk out (and I was on an airplane!), she hit me with the one-two punch of Friends With Money and The Break-Up. I liked both of those a lot. Into You is set in Baltimore and will consist of "interconnecting story arcs dealing with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior." Interconnecting story arcs set in Baltimore, eh? Any chance we can tie this all in to The Wire somehow? Brilliant as that show is, I always felt it could use a romantic comedy element.
'License to Wed' Director Helming Teen Mayor Comedy Next
Filed under: Comedy », Deals », Scripts »
Is there anything funnier than taking a kid, especially one who is having a rough or sluggish go of things, and put him in an unreal situation? Or, better yet, make him a child prodigy, an every-man's Doogie Howser? Well, probably, but we still seem to eat these things up with a spoon. The latest in the thrush: the story of a high school slacker who needs something extra-curricular for his college applications. Instead of joining a club, helping senior citizens or the usual teen activities, he decides that he will run for mayor. Of course, since this is the land of cinema and surprise, he wins.The Hollywood Reporter says that "he realizes that getting into college was the easy part," but I wonder if that should be "becoming mayor was the easy part" since the plot is only talking about his application, not admission. Then again, the kid could have to deal with mayoral duties from college, so we'll see. Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse are currently writing the script for Ken Kwapis to direct. Kwapis has helmed a bunch of television episodes from Freaks and Geeks to The Bernie Mac Show, and he's also the guy behind He Said, She Said and The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. Although it will probably be a while before this project gets really up and running, you can see his work in the upcoming License to Wed -- that weird comedy with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.
He's Just Not That Into Drew
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Deals », New Line », Newsstand »
According to Variety, director Ken Kwapis, whose resume includes the less-than-stellar feature The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the upcoming License to Wed and the pilot of TV's The Office has been tapped to direct the relationship comedy He's Just Not That Into You for New Line Cinema. The project, based on the bestselling book by former Sex and the City writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, is being produced by the super-cute Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen through their Flower Films production company.No word yet on casting for the film, and particularly whether Barrymore will actually be in the movie or will just be producing. Since it seems so much up her alley, I think it's only a matter of time before an announcement is made that Barrymore will star in the film. Really, this is exactly the kind of project she usually likes to make. Romantic comedies with quirky relationships, big obstacles, some hardships and love finally conquering all at the end. Go watch The Wedding Singer, Fever Pitch or 50 First Dates. On top of that, the writers who are adapting this film from the book, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, also wrote another romantic comedy in which Barrymore starred, the somewhat delightful Never Been Kissed. No word yet on a start or release date for the film either.








