We just learned that the upcoming Kristen Wiig starrer, “Bridesmaids,” will premiere internationally on May 12th, 2011. Now Production Weekly has Tweeted that Maya Rudolph will be joining the Judd Apatow-produced comedy, as the bride to Wiig’s titular bridesmaid.
Rudolph’s addition is even more great news for this project, which on paper, sounds like an even more torturous experience than “Bride Wars,” or anything of that ilk. Yup, the official synopsis reads, “a comedy centered on two women battling to plan their friend’s wedding party.” Ick. However, with Wiig’s unique brand of wackiness, and the consistently solid Rudolph, not to mention Apatow’s comedy credentials, and director Paul Feig’s impressive TV work (“Freaks and Geeks,” “The Office”), color us excited for what could possibly be an incredibly smart lady comedy– a rare thing in Hollywood these days.
Who knows if it’s actually correct, but IMDB also lists a few more supporting cast members, all established TV comediennes: Ellie Kemper (Erin on “The Office”), Melissa McCarthy (b&b owner Sookie on “Gilmore Girls”) and Wendy McLendon-Covey (the inimitable Clementine on “Reno:911”). Also on the cast list is Annie Mumolo, who co-wrote the script with Wiig, and is a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe in LA (and to be fair, IMDB can really be on this, they had Barry Pepper in the Coens’ “True Grit” before it was officially announced).
It’s nice to see Apatow changing up his boys’ club m.o. and embracing a female-driven comedy. He’s even gotten flack for the rather unrealistic treatment of the female characters in “Knocked Up” (and “Funny People” could also be said to be lacking in the well-rounded characterization of women department). Let’s remember though, this is a script by Wiig and Mumolo, and Feig will be behind the camera, with Apatow just sprinkling his comedy producer fairy dust from above. Trying on a women’s picture is a good move on his part, though. Hopefully it will lead to more like this from his stable, and just might set a standard for women’s comedies to step up to; saving us from the “Sex and the Cities,” the “Ugly Truths,” and various other crimes against female-centric film we have ALL suffered too long.
It’s also a big move for Wiig, as her first starring role carrying a picture. Her batshit wacky brand of humor is the strongest thing on SNL right now, and she’s walked away with scenes in “Knocked Up,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and “Walk Hard” (those are just the Apatow projects), and done fine work in “Whip It” and “Adventureland.” It’s exciting to see her moving up to the big leagues, and she’s got a great team surrounding her, but it’s always a risk with an untested supporting/TV player stepping into movie star/box office bank shoes.