Emmy winner Kate McKinnon will star in Amblin Entertainment’s “The Lunch Witch,” an adaptation of a 2015 young adult novel by Deb Lucke, TheWrap has learned.
“Angry Birds” co-director Clay Kaytis is helming the film, which will be his first live-action movie as a director. Michael De Luca is producing the movie with Johnny Pariseau of De Luca Productions as an executive producer.
McKinnon will play a witch named Grunhilda, a bitter woman who inherited recipes and a cauldron from her ancestors. She takes a job as a lunch lady, where she takes joy in frightening the children, until she meets and befriends a timid, bespectacled girl named Madison — even though lending a helping hand goes against her witch values.
The “Saturday Night Live” actress, who scored an Emmy in September for best comedy supporting actress, currently stars alongside Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller and Courtney B. Vance in Paramount’s “Office Christmas Party,” which opens Dec. 9.
McKinnon also appeared in Sony’s all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot earlier this year.
The actress’ most famous role — which contributed to her Emmy — was her portrayal of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on “SNL.” Since Clinton’s defeat, McKinnon has been playing President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, in the show’s political skits.
McKinnon is represented by UTA and Principato-Young Entertainment.