Since breaking out in the 2011 comedy blockbuster Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has been nearly unstoppable. In the process, she has become an unlikely movie star and one of the most bankable artists in contemporary cinema. With her latest – The Boss – now open in theaters, McCarthy already appears to have her next comedic vehicle in the pipeline. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Oscar nominated performer will headline Life of the Party, which has been picked up by New Line Cinema.
Plot details for the film are being kept under lock and key as of right now, but it appears the upcoming project will play broad and tonally may have similarities to Rodney Dangerfield’s 1986 comedy vehicle Back to School. One thing known is that McCarthy will keep Life of the Party in the family, so to speak. Ben Falcone, McCarthy’s husband, is slated to direct the film and co-write the screenplay with McCarthy herself. The comedy duo have plenty of experience working together – Falcone directed both Tammy (2014) and the current The Boss. Falcone also portrayed Air Marshal Jon in Bridesmaids, providing the film with one of its signature moments.
Impressively, McCarthy’s output in recent years has minted box office gold. Bridesmaids still marks as her biggest financial hit at the domestic box office, but Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013) and last summer’s Spy all made over $100 million dollars and Tammy came awfully close despite middling reviews. The Boss is currently hoping to take the lead of this week’s box office chart and may just unseat Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the process. McCarthy will next be seen in Ghostbusters, which arrives in theaters this summer.
We will stay tuned to further developments on Life of the Party.
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