In the latest promo for her next film, Luckiest Girl Alive, Mila Kunis seems to be riding a wave of good fortune. It stars her as Ani FaNelli, a recently promoted journalist for the New York Times who has it all: wealth, style, a blue-collar fiancee, and, most crucially, “the edge.” Her carefully curated existence begins to disintegrate as a documentary filmmaker approaches her about an event that occurred at her school years ago.
The film, based on Jessica Knoll’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, will have a limited theatrical release on September 30 and will become available on Netflix on October 7. Ani’s life looks too perfect in the preview as she describes everything that has gone well for her recently, from the job to the lavish forthcoming wedding. Ani’s misfortune begins when she is contacted about appearing in a true-crime documentary, but even the luckiest individuals have their share of dark times and horrible events.
A documentary maker implies she was involved in a school shooting and seeks information about her possible ties to the perpetrators. Thereafter, Ani’s shadow side becomes more apparent. Because she was afraid of her husband’s reaction and the reactions of his friends and family, she kept her whole history hidden. When a former classmate makes charges that further link her with her past—and then threatens her—things take a dark turn for the worse.
The fact that Ani was bullied at school and sought aid from a teacher only serves to further establish that something profoundly wrong occurred beyond the gunshot that nearly wrecked her. Whatever it was altered her permanently, and she had to start again in order to get away from it. Finn Wittrock, Chiara Aurelia, Scoot McNairy, Thomas Barbusca, Justine Lupe, Dalmar Abuzeid, Alex Barone, Carson MacCormac, Jennifer Beals, and Connie Britton are all included in the cast of Luckiest Girl Alive. Knoll was brought on board to adapt her novel for the cinema, and Emmy nominee Mike Barker, who has directed twelve episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale and two episodes of Fargo, directed the picture.
Knoll and Barker’s executive produce alongside Lisa Sterbakov, Shayne Fiske Goldner, and Steve Hutensky, while Kunis co-produces with Bruna Papandrea, Jeanne Snow, Erik Feig, and Lucy Kitada. Kunis has two future projects, the first being Luckiest Girl Alive and the second being a reprise of her debut performance as Jackie Burkhart in That ’90s Show. She’ll be reuniting with her neighbours from That 70s Show, including Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp (returning as Red and Kitty Foreman) and Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama. Film theatres will play “Luckiest Girl Alive” on September 30, and Netflix will add it on October 7.