Mindy Kaling, Emma Thompson eye late-night talk show movie
Following announcements that she will star in Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time and the all-female Ocean’s Eight reboot, Mindy Kaling is adding yet another big screen production to her growing filmography, as EW can confirm the actress and writer is set to star in a new movie based on an original screenplay she also wrote.
The Mindy Project star will topline the feature-length film, which revolves around a veteran late-night talk show host in danger of losing her long-running program shortly after staffing a female writer for the first time. Oscar-winner Emma Thompson is in talks to star as the fictional talk show host, while Kaling will play her new comedy scribe.
Variety, which first reported news of the project, cites a source close to production who describes the film as The Devil Wears Prada meets Broadcast News.
In addition to writing the film’s script and leading its cast, Kaling is set to produce the project alongside Scott Rudin and Howard Klein. While a studio is not currently attached, several bidders are reportedly eyeing the film.
Kaling rose to prominence on television, playing Kelly Kapoor on the long-running NBC comedy The Office from 2005-2013. She later created her own comedy series, The Mindy Project, which ran for three seasons on Fox before moving to Hulu in 2015. The romantic comedy’s fifth season premieres Oct. 4. She is also the author of two collections of personal essays, 2011’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and 2015’s Why Not Me?
Further details regarding the planned film, including a release date, title, and further casting information, have yet to be announced.
