Last spring, Tina Fey showed that her “30 Rock” popularity can translate into some box office power (at least when paired with Steve Carell; let’s not talk about “Baby Mama“) when “Date Night” became a box office hit and it looks she’s ready to try another film, although one with a bit more dramatic meat on the bones.
Depending on who you ask Tina Fey is in very early talks or final negotiations to star in “Admission” based on the book by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Paul Weitz is attached to direct the story about a Princeton admissions official who sparks a relationship with a prospective student.
We’re not sure what to think about this one yet. Karen Croner (“One True Thing“) will pen the screenplay which could bode well, but Paul Weitz (“Little Fockers,” “Cirque Du Freak“) in the director’s chair means any emotional subtlety or anything resembling humor will likely get the shit sledgehammered out of it by the tactless helmer. Sounds like a script still needs to be written but if it’s finished and approved in time, the film could presumably go in front of cameras this summer when Fey is off from “30 Rock.” We’ll see how this develops but in the meantime, check out the synopsis of the book below:
Portia Nathan, the overly dedicated 38-year-old Princeton admissions officer, narrator of Korelitz’s overthought fourth novel, finds purpose in her gatekeeper role. But her career and conscience are challenged after she visits a down-at-the-heels New England town on a scouting trip and meets Jeremiah, a talented but rough-around-the-edges 17-year-old who maybe doesn’t measure up as Princeton material. The real rub is how making his acquaintance forces Portia to confront a painful secret from her past that ties into some domestic discord with her professor friend, David, and may lead her into a career-endangering fracas with the admissions board.