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Writer/director/playwright Leslye Headland has a knack for writing uncomfortably honest characters that aren’t afraid to get messy when it comes to the game of love. Although her Bachelorette didn’t make a fan out of me when it premiered back at Sundance 2012, the film has steadily grown on me over time, and Headland’s recent crack at rescripting About Last Night for a new audience is unabashedly funny and just plain brave.
The multi-hyphenate is now turning her particular charms to Sleeping With Other People, her next film project that looks to dive deep into the dark heart of modern love. The film is already set to star Jason Sudeikis, but it recently lost its leading lady (Kirsten Dunst, who previously starred in Bachelorette) when the actress needed to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. The film centers on a womanizer ‐ played by Sudeikis ‐ who falls for a serial cheater (who would have been played by Dunst), so it’s pretty essential to cast that leading lady ASAP. But who could it be? According to THR, it just might be the sweet-faced Alison Brie.
The outlet reports that Brie is in talks to take over the role vacated by Dunst. Elsewhere, Adam Scott (who also co-starred in Bachelorette) is also in negotiations to take an unspecified role in the film. However, Headland is intent on making it clear that Sudeikis is the only one officially signed on, telling THR, “The only person that’s a definite, in that he’s been announced and is on board, is Jason [Sudeikis].”
Headland, who wrote the screenplay and will direct the feature, is also quite charmingly honest about the reality of getting a whole film made, saying, “Films are always like, it may not happen, we’ll see…Even going into the premiere of Bachelorette, I was like, ‘It still may not happen’…I don’t know if it’s just being an assistant and having seen how the sausage is made, where you just sort of come at everything with this feeling of…’It’s not set in stone, kids.’ I’ve seen shit fall apart over less.”
Here’s to hoping this one doesn’t fall apart.
