Having shared the screen in Jumanji: The Next Level, Awkwafina and Karen Gillan are collaborating once again, this time on an action comedy titled Shelly. The film is being described as a mix between Mean Girls and HBO’s Barry.
Awkwafina will star as the title character, a young woman who was left so embarrassed by a high school prom prank a decade earlier that she grew up to become a ruthless assassin. When Shelly learns that her latest target is her former high school bully Dianna, she’s thrilled to carry out the contract.
But when Dianna unexpectedly befriends Shelly and brings her into the cool crowd, Shelly has to protect her former nemesis from a rival crew of assassins hired to kill them both.
Veteran TV helmer Jude Weng (Fresh Off The Boat) will direct from a script by Michael Doneger and Liz Storm, while Ian Bryce (Transformers) will produce.
Bryce is currently working with UTA to shop the package to studios and streamers, which have been stockpiling scripts as they plan for the industry potentially resuming production at some point this summer.
Awkwafina is coming off the success of The Farewell, and will next be seen in Tate Taylor‘s crime drama Breaking News In Yuba County. She’ll also co-star in Marvel’s Shang-Chi movie, lead the gambling film The Baccarat Machine, as well as voice one of the leads in Disney’s Raya And The Last Dragon.
Gillan most recently appeared in The Call Of The Wild, and she’ll soon be seen in another female assassin movie, Gunpowder Milkshake. She’ll also reprise her role as Nebula in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, and the Disney+ Marvel series What If…?
This should be a fun team-up. Gillan and Awkwafina are two of the rising stars of the industry and have proven adept at excelling in different genres. And hey, Mean Girls meets Barry? What’s not to like about that?
#Peace.Love.Shelly
