After more than a decade in front of the camera, actress Olivia Wilde turned music video directing gigs of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros into a directorial debut payday with key prod houses as backers. Booksmart features Billie Lourd, Kaitlyn Dever and Lisa Kudrow (Jason Sudeikis also lends a hand). Filming took place earlier in the year. This could be among the bigger clout directorial debuts featured at the fest.
Gist: Based on an original script by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, with initial revisions by Susanna Fogel, and current revisions by Katie Silberman, this follows Dever and Feldstein’s characters, who, on the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends suddenly realize that they should have worked less and played more. Determined never to fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
Production Co./Producers: Annapurna’s Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, and Megan Ellison, Gloria Sanchez Production’s Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay.
Prediction: Premieres category or a showing at Tribeca.
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). TBD (international)
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