Almost everyone will read a true crime thriller if it’s a good one. The adoration for Anna Kendrick is universal. Because of this, casting the actress in such a role was simply a matter of time. Kendrick will not only act in, but also produce, and direct her first feature picture, The Dating Game, which was revealed today. The story of Cheryl Bradshaw, the inspiration for The Dating Game, is based on a horrific actual event. In 1978, Bradshaw played the role of a single woman on the TV show The Dating Game. Bradshaw went on a date with Rodney Alcala, who was apprehended as a serial murderer around a year after their first meeting.
Although Bradshaw refused to go on the date with Alcala because she found him weird, the movie may feasibly change this. Actress Kendrick has been nominated for both an Oscar and a Tony. The musical comedy series Pitch Perfect, her scene-stealing act in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and her voice work in the massively successful Trolls series are perhaps what she is most known for. In addition to Love Life, she will soon be featured in the forthcoming drama Alice, Darling on HBO Max. Yet, her first time behind the camera will be for The Dating Game, which will be a significant stride in her career.
Kendrick stated this about his new position as director: “Ever since I first read this script, I’ve been in love with it. I was so moved by the tale, the tone, and the concepts around gender and intimacy that I leapt at the chance to direct the film after playing the role of Cheryl. It seems fated. Stuart Ford and the whole staff at AGC, Vertigo, and BoulderLight have been nothing but encouraging and supportive.
Kendrick will take Ian MacAllister McDonald’s script as his basis for direction. Co-producers for The Dating Game include Stuart Ford of AGC Studios, J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures, and Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment. Ford said this on hiring Kendrick as the film’s director: In the words of BoulderLight and Vertigo, “Anna has such a natural affinity for the people in this film and the tone of the movie that it makes total sense for her to walk behind the camera and direct it.”
Preparations for the upcoming film The Dating Game continue, with production set to start at the end of this month.