Anna Kendrick To Make Directorial Debut With True-Crime Thriller The Dating Game
Anna Kendrick is a woman of many talents — she's a great actor, a fantastic singer, a hilarious Twitter follow, a wonderful Barbie spokesperson, and now she can finally add "director" to her growing list of multi-hyphenates. The star of films like "A Simple Favor," "Pitch Perfect," "Up in the Air," and a flurry of teen films that people mock her for having starred in (I'm looking at you, "Twilight" and "Camp") will be directing, starring in, and producing the true-crime thriller "The Dating Game," based on the real story of 1970s would-be bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw. The script comes from Ian McDonald, whose original draft "Sheryl & Rodney” wound up on the prestigious unproduced list of screenplays, The Black List.
For those unaware of the story behind the film, Kendrick's Cheryl Bradshaw was a real-life contestant on "The Dating Game," who ultimately picked contestant number 1, a man by the name of Rodney Alcala. He seemed charming and handsome enough on TV but in a sick twist of fate, Alcala was also a sadistic serial killer. Jed Mills, the game-show contestant who sat next to Alcala on the show said in court that, "He was creepy, definitely creepy." Alcala was eventually found guilty of murder, kidnapping, and an array of sexual offenses. Alcala also acted as his own attorney during the penalty phase of the trial, because serial killers are also idiots in addition to being violent predators.
Whether or not Bradshaw was one of his victims or a survivor is easily Googleable, so if you want to avoid spoilers for this film, keep that in mind.
'It feels meant to be'
"I've loved this script from the moment I read it," said Kendrick. "While I was obviously thrilled to be playing the character of Sheryl, I felt so connected to the story, the tone and the themes around gender and intimacy, that when the opportunity came up to direct the film, I jumped at it," she said to The Hollywood Reporter. "It feels meant to be." When the film was first announced as "Sheryl & Rodney," director Chloe Okuno ("V/H/S/94," "Watcher") was attached to helm the project. While there have been no announcements as to why Okuno left the project, it seems as if this is what provided Kendrick the opportunity to take on the directorial role.
In addition to Kendrick, "The Dating Game" is being produced by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules through BoulderLight Pictures, and Roy Lee and Miri Yoon via Vertigo Entertainment. Screenwriter McDonald will also serve as an executive producer.
"The Dating Game" is currently in pre-production with principal photography scheduled for sometime in late October. Kendrick is currently the only announced member of the cast, so start your fantasy booking now for who will play Rodney Alcala.