Also Writing Dark Comedy With ‘The Help’ Director Tate Taylor; Jon Hamm Says He Doubts Kristen Wiig Will Want To Do ‘Bridesmaids 2’
So just how scorching is the heat on Melissa McCarthy right now after her breakout turn earlier this year in “Bridesmaids“? Well, after taking the statue for Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for “Mike & Molly” (a show wholly undeserving of her talents) at the Emmy’s talk pretty much immediately began for an Oscar run for the actress. And while we’ll believe it when we see it, that’s just an indication of how universally beloved in a span of about four or five months. And Hollywood isn’t wasting any time in making sure she has gigs lined up for her next hiatus from the CBS sitcom. “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig and Judd Apatow are already developing a movie for her which may star Jon Hamm and she’s got “ID Theft” lined up with Jason Bateman. And Judd Apatow also gave her a part in his forthcoming “This Is Forty.” But believe it or not, that’s not all.
The actress covers the latest print edition of The Hollywood Reporter and inside she dishes on even more projects that she was in the works. Talk about striking while the iron is hot. 2011 has also been a very good year for her former Groundlings colleague and “The Help” director Tate Taylor whose film has crossed $150 million in U.S. box office receipts and is likely going to be a factor in the coming Oscar race. And while she wouldn’t divulge too much just yet, she does say she is half-finished a “dark comedy” script with the helmer. But if things go her way, she hopes to get another movie she’s been developing for a while off the ground soon.
Titled “Tammy” the film is clearly one McCarthy is very, very excited about. “It’s so funny, and it also kind of breaks my heart,” she says to THR. The story centers on a woman who life isn’t going as planned and she decides to get out of town, but will need to use her grandmother’s car. The catch? The hard-drinking granny insists on coming along. “It’s these two women who are not where they thought they’d be, and they kind of band together,” she explains.
It sounds promising but as we mentioned, this is just one of projects on the horizon. The aforementioned Feig/Apatow project is one, and while details are slim, is does bear the title “Dumb Jock.” She also just sold a comedy to CBS about a woman in a mid-life crisis, is planning on starting her own fashion line, started a production company and oh yeah, she’s hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. But one thing you shouldn’t count on just yet? “Bridesmaids 2.”
While there has some initial talk about a follow-up, there may be a good reason why you haven’t heard much about it lately. E! Online recently caught up with Jon Hamm and he bluntly stated, “I don’t think Kristen [Wiig] is going to do it.”
Frankly, that’s fine by us. We’d rather Wiig, Feig, Apatow, McCarthy — whoever — spend their time getting their new ideas moving rather than covering ground they’ve already gone over. A spinoff maybe? Sure, we could see that happening — it seems to be Apatow’s preferred method these days — but we view “Bridesmaids” like “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” A great comedy that stands on its own that we’ll be happy revisit more than once, but a world we don’t need to delve into another movie. As is stands the BluRay release has enough extra stuff to keep us stitches including this amazing extended argument scene. So much gold.
