Anna Kendrick is joining the ranks of directors and will make her feature directorial debut on AGC Studios’ thriller The Dating Game.
AGC Studios is fully financing and co-producing the feature while the producers are J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules for BoulderLight Pictures and horror veteran Roy Lee and Miri Yoon for Vertigo Entertainment.
Kendrick is also producing and will star as the lead in The Dating Game, which is based on Ian McDonald’s The Black List screenplay and tells the true story of Cheryl Bradshaw, a bachelorette on the hit 1970’s TV matchmaking show of the same name. Bradshaw chose Rodney Alcala, who unbeknownst to her was a serial killer.
Production is set to commence in late October. AGC International launched sales in Cannes with UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance jointly representing US rights.
Kendrick will attend a presentation with AGC Studios chairman and CEO Stuart Ford for international distributors at TIFF.
Projects from her production company Let’s Go Again include the anthology series Love Life for HBO Max, sci-fi thriller Stowaway for Netflix, and upcoming TIFF world premiere and Lionsgate release Alice, Darling.
“I’ve loved this script from the moment I read it,” said Kendrick. “And while I was obviously thrilled to be playing the character of Cheryl, I felt so connected to the story, the tone, and the themes around gender and intimacy, that when the opportunity came up to direct the film, I jumped at it. It feels meant to be. The support I’ve received already from Stuart Ford and everyone at AGC, Vertigo and BoulderLight has been inspiring and empowering.”
Ford added, “Anna has such an innate feeling for the characters in this film and the tone of the movie, it makes absolute sense for her to step behind the camera and direct it and to back her vision for the film to move forward alongside our partners at BoulderLight and Vertigo.”
AGC’s SVP of legal & business affairs Anant Tamirisa negotiated the deal with CAA Media Finance and Range Media Partners on behalf of Kendrick.
BoulderLight and Vertigo co-produced the upcoming Barbarian from New Regency and 20th Century Studios.
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