Earlier this year, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer signed on to star in an untitled holiday comedy reportedly in the vain of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. The film will reunite the two stars from the 2011 film The Help, and Universal reportedly won a bidding war with other studios for the rights to the film.
Now, per Variety, the film has a director. Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) has signed on to helm the project. Showalter is a comedic performer himself, and while he might not be renowned as anything like an auteur, he’s shown a knack for getting great performances out of his casts.
The Big Sick succeeded because of its well-told story and committed cast, with Showalter lending a steady hand to keep everything afloat. If he can do the same here, maybe we’ll have a similar hit. Chastain and Spencer as the leads should help him out considerably.
Chastain herself co-wrote the original treatment alongside Kelly Carmichael and Peter Chiarelli, and it’s as yet unclear whether the film will be practically a direct remake of the John Hughes film, or just influenced by it. The basic story revolves around two women trying to get home to their families on Christmas Day, as opposed to Thanksgiving in the 1987 film.
So while Showalter might not be the most dynamic person to helm the film, the whole marketing team will likely applaud the decision as it gives them easy material to sell the film on, namely: “from the director of The Big Sick“. If this comedy can be as good as that one, we’re in for a treat.
#Peace.Love.TheBigSick
