Anna Kendrick Making Directorial Debut With Film About ‘The Dating Game’ Killer
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Kendrick is set to direct and star in the upcoming true crime thriller.
Anna Kendrick will soon direct her first film, a thriller based on the true story of "The Dating Game Killer" and the contestant who chose him as the most eligible bachelor.
According to a new press release via PEOPLE, Kendrick will produce, star, and direct the movie–aptly titled The Dating Game–adapted from a script previously written by Ian MacAllister McDonald.
Following the 1970s true crime case of Rodney Alcala, the movie is said to center around Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Kendrick), the bachelorette on the 1978 episode of The Dating Game who chose Alcala as the winner of a date.
According to The New York Times, after picking Alcala on The Dating Game, Bradshaw ended up not going on a date with him because she found him to be "disturbing."
Not long after his appearance on the show, Alcala was convicted of brutally murdering seven people between 1971 and 1979 in California and New York. Alcala died of natural causes while on death row in July of 2021; according to local reports, officials still suspect he might have been involved in many more violent attacks.
The press release did not reveal a full cast line-up but did note that principal photography is set to start at the end of next month–so maybe we'll get treated to a first look near the end of spooky season!
The movie's official synopsis was shared and seemed to stick to the terrifying timeline of events that captivated the public over 40 years ago.
"The stranger-than-fiction true story of Cheryl Bradshaw, who was a bachelorette on the hit '70s TV matchmaking show The Dating Game and chose handsome and funny bachelor number one, Rodney Alcala. But behind Alcala's charming façade was a deadly secret: he was a psychopathic serial killer."
While the movie claims to be based on a true story, it's unclear how much of the thriller will be fictionalized or altered for entertainment purposes.
And if you're wondering why Kendrick picked a rather insidious story as her directorial debut, according to statements shared with the outlet, it's because she "loved this script from the moment [she] read it."
Kendrick further explained: "And while I was obviously thrilled to be playing the character of Cheryl [Bradshaw], 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."
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