Can we talk about Kathryn Hahn? The “WandaVision” alum will play iconic female comedian Joan Rivers in an upcoming limited series that is in development at Showtime.
“The Comeback Girl” will be executive produced by Hahn and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct. Cosmo Carlson will write and executive produce. The project was shepherded by Atlas Entertainment President Richard Suckle, Vice President Robert Amidon and Carlson.
The series will chart Rivers’ rise following the cancelation of her short-lived late-night talk show on Fox, “The Late Show.” The show’s cancelation coincided with Rivers’ husband Edgar Rosenberg’s death by suicide. Rosenberg was a producer on “The Late Show.”
Here is the logline from Showtime:
“Trailblazer. Adored. Cruel. Diva. Joan Rivers had a life like no other. At age 54, she was a superstar comedienne…and then it all fell apart. ‘The Comeback Girl’ is the awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan Rivers persevered through near suicide and professional abyss to rebuild herself and her career to become a global icon.”
Variety first reported on the project.
Hahn is coming off an Emmy nomination for her role as Agatha Harkness in Disney+’s “WandaVision” (“Mare of Easttown’s” Julianne Nicholson ended up winning). She can next be seen in Apple TV+’s “The Shrink Next Door.”
Rivers became the first woman to host her own late-night show when Fox premiered “The Late Show With Joan Rivers” in 1986. Rivers, who had been the main fill-in host for Johnny Carson during his “Tonight Show” run, was passed over as his successor, which eventually became Jay Leno. Often competing with “The Tonight Show” in the same timeslot and for guests, the show struggled in the ratings and had trouble booking high-profile actors.
The version with Rivers lasted only a year.
The project is produced by Atlas Entertainment and Berlanti Productions, with Richard Suckle and Charles Roven serving as executive producers for Atlas Entertainment, and Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden serving as executive producers for Berlanti Productions. Kathryn Hahn and Cosmo Carlson to executive produce. Robert Amidon from Atlas Entertainment will serve as co-executive producer. Leslie Bennetts is a consultant.