Aubrey Plaza’s latest project is gaining momentum…
Momentum Pictures has picked up the U.S. distribution rights to the 35-year-old half-Puerto Rican’s film Black Bear, co-starring Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon.
The suspenseful meta-drama was written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine.
The film, which premiered earlier this year at theSundance Film Festival, follows an expecting couple confronted with an out of town guest. Suffering from writer’s block, the guest seeks solace in the woods but instead finds herself at the center of a twisted love triangle.
The release date will be announced at a later date.
Levin talked about the impetus of the film with Deadline.
“I wanted to do something more unusual and spontaneous,” Levin told Deadline, sharing that he was inspired by his artist sister’s spontaneous approach when it pertains to her creative process.
The 35-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian and her fellow Parks and Recreation cast mates will return to Pawnee, Indiana, for a one-time special amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The half-hour scripted special to benefit Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fundis set to air on Thursday, April 30 at 8:30 pm ET/PT.
All of the original characters from the series will return in the Universal TV-produced special, played by original cast members Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, and Retta.
Several guest stars from the Pawnee universe may pop in as well.
The story comes from the events of the day – Pawnee’s most dedicated civil servant, Leslie Knope (Poehler), is determined to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing.
“Like a lot of other people, we were looking for ways to help and felt that bringing these characters back for a night could raise some money,” said executive producer Michael Schur. “I sent a hopeful email to the cast and they all got back to me within 45 minutes. Our old ‘Parks and Rec’ team has put together one more 30-minute slice of (quarantined) Pawnee life and we hope everyone enjoys it. And donates!”
The special comes five years after viewers said farewell to the iconic comedy series.
“In such uncertain times, we can’t think of anyone better than Leslie Knope to unite our country with her unbridled enthusiasm and compassion,” said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming, NBC Entertainment. “A huge thank you to Mike Schur and the cast of Parks and Recreationfor putting this wonderful special together and bringing a smile to all our faces while raising money for such a worthwhile cause.”
State Farmand Subaru of Americawill each make matching donations of $150,000 and, combined with NBCUniversaland the writers/producers/cast of Parks and Recreation, a total of $500,000 in matching donations will be made through May 21.
Parks and Recreationreceived a Peabody Award for excellence in television programming, an AFIhonor as one of the Top 10 Television Shows of the Yearand several Emmynominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing and lead actress for Poehler, who won a Golden Globe for her performance in 2014.
The 35-year-old Puerto Rican actress and Parks and Recreation alum has joined the cast of the TriStar Pictures and Entertainment One romantic comedy Happiest Season, starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis.
Plaza joins a list of newcomers that includes Mary Steenburgen, Victor Garber, Alison Brieand Dan Levy.
Directed and co-written by Clea DuVall, and co-written by Mary Holland, Happiest Season follows a young woman (Stewart) whose plan to propose to her girlfriend (Davis) while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents (played by Steenburgen and Garber).
The film is set to hit theaters on November 20. eOne will distribute the film in UK and Canada.
Filming is currently underway in Pittsburgh, PA.
Plaza’s film credits include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Monsters University,Dirty Grandpa, Ingrid Goes Westand Child’s Play.
The 35-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined Oscar winner Michael Cainein Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut Best Sellers.
The story follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor, Plaza, trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion.
The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwritingaward, and will be an official Canada-UK co-production.
Shooting on the film is expected to begin this month.
Plaza recently wrapped production on the feature Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama that she produced and stars in opposite Christopher Abbottand Sarah Gadon.
Next up for Plaza is the Netflixfeature Hopefrom New Zealand duoJackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami.
The Parks and Recreationalum’s other feature film credits include last summer’s Child’s Play, Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awardfor Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’sThe Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, Colin Trevorrow’sSafety Not Guaranteed, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldand Judd Apatow’s Funny People, among others.
On television, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’sLegionon FX. Additionally, she hosted the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The 35-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and former Parks and Recreation star will star opposite Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon in Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine.
The thriller centers on an expecting couple (Gadon and Abbott) who are confronted with an out-of-town guest Abigail (Plaza), a filmmaker suffering from writer’s block who seeks solace in the woods but finds herself at the center of a twisted love triangle.
“Black Bear is a thriller that depicts broken characters wrestling with a seemingly shattered world that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats” said Levine. “I am thrilled to have such a talented trio of actors on board.”
Currently shooting in the Adirondack Mountains in Long Lake, NY, the film hails from Productivity Mediaand Oakhurst Entertainment.
Plaza, who stars in Noah Hawley’s FX series Legion, recently was seen in MGM’s Child’s Play reboot.
The 34-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress will star in MGM’s Child’s Play remake for Orion Pictures.
Plaza will appear opposite Gabriel Bateman and Brian Tyree Henry in the film.
Bateman will take on the role as Andy, Plaza will play Andy’s mom Karen, and Henry is Mike. Those characters originated in the 1988 version, which went on to gross $44 million worldwide, spawned six sequels, and created one of the most well-known characters in the horror genre.
Polaroid helmer Lars Klevberg is set to direct the film, which will mark Klevberg’s second feature.
The plot, based on the original, follows a mother (Plaza) who gives her son (Bateman) a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.
It’s nun of your business what Aubrey Plaza does… Or is it?
Gunpowder & Sky has unveiled the first NSFW redband trailer for the comedy The Little Hours, starring the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and former Parks and Recreation star, Alison Brie and Dave Franco.
The Little Hours follows medieval nuns gone wild Alessandra (Brie), Fernanda (Plaza) and Ginevra (Kate Micucci).
Per the film’s description, their days are spent chafing at monastic routine, spying on one another, and berating the estate’s day laborer. After a particularly vicious insult session drives the peasant away, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) brings on new hired hand, Massetto (Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord. Introduced to the sisters as a deaf mute to discourage temptation, Massetto struggles to maintain his cover as the repressed nunnery erupts in a whirlwind of pansexual horniness, substance abuse and wicked revelry.
Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Nick Offerman and Adam Pally co-star.
Produced by Liz Destro and Plaza, the Jeff Baena-written and -directed comedy will open in theaters on June 30.
The first red band teaser trailer has been released for Matt Spicer’s Sundance Film Festival award-winning comedy Ingrid Goes West, starring the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress.
In the clip, Plaza’s character Ingrid Thorburn is seen obsessing over someone’s wedding pictures on Instagram, before showing up at the reception and pepper spraying the bride because she wasn’t invited.
The film then follows Ingrid who, after the death of her mother and a series of self-inflicted setbacks, escapes a humdrum existence by moving out West to befriend her Instagram obsession and L.A. socialite Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). The two form a rather unlikely bond and the façade begins to crack in both women’s lives — with comically malicious results.
The film co-stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, and Billy Magnussen.
Ingrid Goes West premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where writers Spicer and David Branson Smith won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Neon then snagged the film’s North American rights for around $3 million.
Two weeks before the end of the first season of Marvel’s Legion, starring the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress, FX has renewed the Noah Hawley-created series for a second season.
There’s no word yet on when in 2018 Legion will debut or how many episodes FX has ordered of the series that stars Plaza, Dan Stevens and Katie Aselton.
The eight-episode first season ends on March 29.
“The first season of Legion was a stunning achievement,” said FX’s Eric Schrier when he and fellow president of Original Programming Nick Grad announced the pick-up of the well-watched show. “More than a new series, Legion is a wholly original take on the super hero genre,” Schrier added. “Our thanks to Noah Hawley for taking the creative risks and shattering expectations. It’s a privilege to work again with Noah, his producing partners, the outstanding cast and our partners at Marvel Television on another season of Legion.”
Legion centers on David Haller (Stevens), who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, and has been a patient in various psychiatric hospitals since. After an encounter with a fellow patient, he is confronted with the possibility that there may be more to him than mental illness. Plaza portrays Lenny Busker, Haller’s friend, who is optimistic despite a history of drug and alcoholic abuse.
“We are thrilled there will be a new season of Legion,” said Legion EP and Marvel Television boss Jeph Loeb. “Noah’s spectacular take on David Haller and all the other characters he brought to life makes us ache for more. We’re particularly proud of our partners at FX and the success we share on our first TV series together.”
Legion is produced by FX Productions and Marvel Television.
TBS has given a pilot order toNightmare Time, a comedy horror anthology from the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Parks and Recreationalum, according to TV Line.
Written by Plaza, Darcy Fowler, Kieran Valla, and Seth Kirschner, Nightmare Time is set in Aubrey Plaza’s Nightmare Clinic, where celebrity guests check in to overcome recurring nightmares.
According to the logline: Every episode features two insane nightmares, inspired by the horrors of modern society and uses tropes and touchstones of the horror genre to guide audiences through its absurd universe. Thanks to advanced technology, we’re able to peer into their restless minds, and witness their nightmares in real time. But what is “real” anyway? Maybe it’s all just a nightmare in Aubrey’s mind. One endless nightmare that could eventually destroy her and the entire world.
Plaza, who is a series regular on FX’s X-Men-themed drama series Legion, will guest star in the pilot and executive produce.
