I’m not sure whether the pharmaceutical business on the big screen is the current “it” subject matter of the day, but closely following in the footsteps of the just recently announced 20th Century Fox project Love and Other Drugs, Universal is pegged to get into the drug business as well with Reese Witherspoon looking to top-line and produce (via Type A Films) Pharm Girl. According to Variety, this is “an aspirational comedy centering on one woman’s odyssey through the drug industry”. It is the pair of screenwriters and possible directors that are coming on board that are worth signaling out.
I learned first hand during Cannes that Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are writers who can also direct. I caught I Love You Phillip Morris at Cannes, and though the picture dips a little too deep into absurdity, there were some generous chuckle-worthy situations. So this duo can handle comedy just like the Apatows of the business. The project centers on a woman (Witherspoon) who gets a job at a pharma powerhouse but begins to see the underbelly of the industry as she rises through the company’s ranks.
