Director Michael Showalter had a hell of a 2017. After making his name as a member of the comedy group, The State, Showalter had a breakout year with the release of his film, “The Big Sick.” That film went on to become one of the awards-darlings of last year, and it put Showalter on the map as a director to keep an eye on. Now, it looks like he’s lined up his “The Big Sick” follow-up film, and he’s bringing two A-list actresses along for the ride.
Variety is reporting that Showalter has signed on to direct an untitled Christmas film for Universal that stars Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. As we reported a couple months ago, the film tells the story of two women who battle the elements to make it home to their respective families for the holidays. Of course, fans of ‘80s comedies will immediately notice that this sounds a lot like the premise for the classic “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.” And it definitely does.
However, the talent involved in the project is enough to make you forget about the similarities for now. While Chastain and Spencer are both great actresses, who worked together in “The Help,” it’s Showalter that should make you really interested. Before “The Big Sick,” the filmmaker released “Hello, My Name Is Doris,” which was criminally underrated in 2015, and “The Baxter.” This is of course in addition to acting and writing in “Wet Hot American Summer.” Needless to say, Showalter is a true comedian and knows his way around a funny, heartfelt film.
There’s no word on a release date yet, but according to the report, Universal beat out Fox and Paramount in a bidding war for the film, and is looking to fast-track the production. So, it stands to reason that we could be seeing this untitled, sorta-kinda “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” pretty soon.
