Moviegoers have been anticipating the next project from Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon since their breakout 2017 romantic comedy, The Big Sick, which earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. And now, it looks like the couple is finally starting work on a new script for a film titled, The Doubtful Guest. The film is based on an illustrated book of the same name by the late Edward Gorey and is being made in collaboration with the sibling directing/producing duo behind It and It: Chapter 2, Andy and Barbara Muschietti. 

As with The Big Sick, Nanjiani will star in leading role. The film follows a mysterious penguin-like creature whose unannounced and unwelcome arrival stirs up trouble and chaos at a family’s home. Nanjiani and Gordon will also serve as executive producers on the project, and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment will also produce. 

During the couple’s break from the big screen, they executive produced the Apple TV Plus series Little America. Nanjiani also recently found some attention on social media for his new physique, which was required for his role in the upcoming MCU film, Eternals. He’s also set to star on the upcoming Disney Plus show, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Meanwhile, Gordon is writing the screenplay for a Netflix film adaptation of the comic book Ball and Chain, which will star Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. 

 Photo credit: Raymond Flotat