Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures has officially acquired the rights to Howl, an upcoming horror-comedy feature marking the directorial debut of actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani. In addition to directing, Nanjiani will star in the film, which is based on an original screenplay written by former entertainment journalist Madison Vanderberg. Vanderberg’s script was previously featured on the 2024 Black List, Hollywood’s annual survey of notable unproduced screenplays.
The narrative follows a prominent yet troubled actor who makes a dramatic announcement during a live television talk show appearance, revealing that he is a werewolf and will undergo a full physical transformation on air in under an hour.
Howl is currently in active development as a joint production between Weed Road Pictures and Winter Coat Films, the banner founded by Nanjiani and his wife and creative partner, Emily V. Gordon. Producing the feature alongside Nanjiani and Gordon are Dani Melia for Winter Coat Films, as well as Akiva Goldsman, Greg Lessans, and Rachel Wizenberg for Weed Road Pictures. Wizenberg, Senior Vice President at Weed Road, brought the project to the studio and will oversee its progress.
The project extends a growing development slate for Winter Coat Films and Amazon MGM Studios. Nanjiani and Gordon are currently serving as co-creators and executive producers on an upcoming series adaptation of the comic book series Sex Criminals for Prime Video, alongside the feature comedy Compulsive Liar.
Nanjiani’s upcoming acting credits include appearances in the second season of Peacock’s Poker Face, season two of Amazon MGM’s Fallout, HBO’s The White Lotus season four, the FX series Very Young Frankenstein, and Neon’s feature film The Wrong Girls. Screenwriter Vanderberg is currently writing the comedy feature Corporate Retreat for Netflix.
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