MRC Film Launches New Female Comedies Division Led By Becky Sloviter, Sets New Projects With ‘Black Adam’ & ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ Scribes

Anthony D'Alessandro
·3 min read

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MRC Film has created a new label devoted to female comedies, which will be led by Becky Sloviter, the producer of Palm Springs, which sold to NEON and Hulu in a record deal at Sundance for $17.5M.

Already, the unnamed division has two projects in development: Let’s Have Kids!, which will serve as the directorial debut of Black Adam and Due Date screenwriter Adam Sztykiel and The Inheritance from Emmy winning Full Frontal With Samantha Bee and A Black Lady Sketch Show scribe Ashley Nicole Black.

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The new label will work with other producers as well as various distributors as they amplify female-driven properties with an independent development budget. Sloviter will report to MRC Film Co-Presidents Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman. She was recently the Head of Production and Development at Party Over Here, The Lonely Island’s production company where in addition to Palm Springs, she also produced Kris Rey’s feature I Used To Go Here, starring Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement and executive produced the critically acclaimed series PEN15 for Hulu and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson for Netflix. Sloviter began her producing career with Stuber/Parent Productions, based at Universal Pictures, where she developed Role Models starring Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott prior to being named Vice President at MGM where she oversaw The Cabin in the Woods and Zookeeper among other projects.

“I’m delighted to partner with MRC Film, whose belief in supporting distinct voices dovetails beautifully with our collective goal of building upon the strong tradition of classic female-driven comedies,” Sloviter said. “I feel fortunate to be launching this company at a time when we all need some levity; and I’m grateful that Brye and Jonathan are mensches of the highest order as we build this company over Zoom with my kids interrupting every 12 minutes.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Becky who has a rare combination of taste, tenacity and bonhomie. To borrow a sports metaphor, she’s a true triple threat,” said Adler and Golfman. “We are excited to work with her to build a company that supports fresh and dynamic voices and tells stories that make people laugh.”

The new MRC label recently secured the rights to Let Have Kids! which Sztykiel co-wrote with his wife Ellie Knaus. The project follows two lifelong best friends who decide to have babies at the same time so they can navigate the great unknown of motherhood together, but find their friendship is deeply tested when only one of them gets pregnant.

Black’s The Inheritance tells the story of total opposite half-sisters who are forced to go on a road trip together after the death of their father in order to collect their inheritance.

MRC Film recently produced and financed the holiday 2019 hit Knives Out from Rian Johnson which grossed $309M WW and a sequel in the works at Lionsgate. MRC has also championed such hits as Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver ($226.9M), and Seth McFarlane’s Ted franchise ($765M+ over two movies) among others. MRC also has a stake in Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street and A-Major Media, led by Mary Lee.

Black is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman. Sztykiel is repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone, and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.

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