Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour (Jake’s review here), was a big success for Netflix. A mix of true crime and black comedy, the film was praised by critics and audiences a like, and the streamer wanted to make sure they stayed in the Kendrick business. And so she’s lined up her next film, an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestseller The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Deadline reports Kendrick will direct The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a high-profile project for Netflix that has had some difficulty getting off the ground. Kendrick becomes the third director attached to it, following Leslye Headland (The Acolyte), and Maggie Betts (The Burial), who both dropped out for different creative reasons. An earlier attempt at a television series fell through when Netflix acquired the rights.
The story centers on an aging Old Hollywood actress as she recounts to a young journalist the truth behind her seven marriages, various infidelities, scandals, and more.
Liz Tigelaar (Tiny Pretty Things) wrote the first draft of the script which has been around since the Headland phase. Francesca Sloane (Atlanta) is currently working on rewrites.
