John Krasinski's Thanksgiving Fantasy Comedy Adds Phoebe Waller-Bridge
John Krasinski has become a bit of a renaissance man throughout his career, making great strides as both the director of critically acclaimed films like "A Quiet Place" and "A Quiet Place 2" and of course, as Jim from "The Office." What many forget, however, is that Krasinski also has two comedies under his directorial belt, the David Foster Wallce inspired "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" and the comedy-drama "The Hollars." His next venture is a highly-anticipated fantasy comedy film for Paramount, due out around Thanksgiving 2023. The currently unnamed film has kept a tight lid on plot details, but the casting announcements keep getting better and better.
In addition to writing and directing the film, Krasinski will co-star alongside funnyman Ryan Reynolds ("Free Guy," "Deadpool," "Just Friends"), and today's announcement includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge ("Fleabag, "Crashing," "Killing Eve") and Fiona Shaw ("True Blood," "Killing Eve," "Harry Potter" franchise). The film is set to focus on an original idea of Krasinski's about a child's journey to rediscover their imagination and is scheduled to begin shooting in summer 2022. There's been no news on how Reynolds, Waller-Bridge, Shaw, or Krasinski will play into the world of the film, but knowing it's a fantasy and deals with imagination sounds like all involved will have a whole new world to play in.
A Blend of Comedy Stylings
Krasinski and Reynolds are both known for their very particular brands of humor with Krasinski's relatable everyman style and Reynolds' penchant for irreverence, which is wildly different than that of Shaw and Waller-Bridge. In particular, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is hailed for her deep character building and reluctant vulnerability, something that has earned her Emmy awards and a gig contributing to the James Bond script "No Time to Die."
Interestingly enough, Waller-Bridge and Shaw have collaborated multiple times in the past, with Shaw starring on "Killing Eve" which Waller-Bridge created, as well as guest starrng on "Fleabag." For both portrayals, Shaw earned Emmy nominations.
The film is being produced by Krasinski under his Sunday Night Productions banner alongside partners Allyson Seeger and Andrew Form. Ryan Reynolds is also producing through his company Maximum Effort, with George Dewey of Maximum Effort also executive producing. The film comes as part of Krasinski and Reynolds' companies' first-look deals with Paramount. Krasinski's untitled comedy is due out in theaters November 17, 2023. No information regarding Paramount+ has been made available, but it's safe to assume there will be more details as production moves forward.