Adam Brody Joins Whit Stillman's 'Damsels In Distress' Starring Greta Gerwig

With the role of neurotic geek Seth Cohen shadowing his career, Adam Brody has valiantly tried to transition his talents to the world of cinema with little success. The actor, though, may have found a project that will work well with his sensibilities.

Brody has joined the cast of indie auteur Whit Stillman’s latest film, “Damsels In Distress,” his long awaited first feature since 1998’s “The Last Days Of Disco.” The two are a great match, we think, with the actor a great new generation replacement for acid tongued actor Chris Eigeman, a Stillman regular who played three different characters in his first three comedies of manners.

Starring breakout mumblecore actress Greta Gerwig, “Damsels In Distress” centers on “a group of style-obsessed college girls who take in a new student and teach her their misguided ways of helping people,” and has been described as “Mean Girls” through the eyes of the indie helmer, Stillman. The heart of the story reportedly follows the relationship between Gerwig and Brody’s characters and the doubts Gerwig’s friends have with Brody’s intentions.

Early synopses have added that the leading group of girls are “convinced that musical dance, sharp clothes and good hygiene — the Dior perfume ‘Diorissimo’ is their trademark — can all contribute to staving off the inevitable self-destructive impulses that follow hard on the heels of failed college romances.”

Should we be expecting musical song and dance numbers then? Gerwig recently shed a bit more light that aspect of the project, telling WWD she’ll be playing “Violet who runs a suicide-prevention center at a liberal arts college. She prevents suicides through the powers of Thirties song-and-dance numbers. So it’s a very dark comedy.”

Lensing on the project is currently taking place on an “ultra-low budget” and probably a very low-key cast other than the leading duo here. Either way, it’s good to see Stillman back behind the camera — it’s been way too long.