Perhaps still best known as the potbellied pageant princess in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Abigail Breslin has spent the better part of the last decade growing up on screen. From her precocious young character in the Ryan Reynolds-starring “Definitley, Maybe,” to the anarchic youngster in “Zombieland,” Breslin has proven to have something a lot of the Disney approved tween set are lacking: range.
So it should come as no surprise that she’s lining up quite a few interesting projects to her already full plate, which now includes “Virgin Mary,” a project Variety is referring to as a “sex comedy in the vein of ‘Sixteen Candles’.” From lovable family films to dark Indies and sex comedies, looks like somebody can’t wait to turn sixteen.
Breslin will star alongside “Valentine’s Day” actor Carter Jenkins, as two best friends who vow to have sex with one another if they don’t lose their virginity by the time they turn 18. The casting is a little odd, considering that at twenty years old Jenkins has five years on Breslin. Though perhaps with the allusion to “Sixteen Candles,” we won’t be forced to watch any sort of awkward moments of intercourse, and things may be a little more wholesome than suggested. “Normal Adolescent Behavior” director Beth Schacter will be at the helm of this one, along with “Akeelah and the Bee” actress Keke Palmer, and former “Spy Kid” Daryl Sabara filling out the supporting cast. Shooting will start at the beginning of next year, so expect to see this one hitting some of the fall 2012 festivals.
This writer isn’t familiar with Schacter’s previous effort, but Breslin is certainly a young talent worth watching, which she proved even before “Little Miss Sunshine” with a role in M. Night Shamalyn’s mostly forgettable “Signs.” This, along with the recently announced true story murder tale “The Class Project,” and the vampire pic “Innocence,” prove that even for a young star Breslin is certainly interested in challenging work.