Rebel Wilson will star in “Senior Year,” a high school comedy being produced by Paramount Players and directed by Alex Hardcastle, the studio announced Thursday.
Wilson will play a cheerleader who was once one of the most popular kids in her high school before an accident put her in a coma for 20 years. After she awakes, she returns to the same school to finish her senior year as she tries to regain her status and capture the prom queen crown that she once so desired.
Brandon Scott Jones, who wrote the 2019 comedy “Isn’t It Romantic” also starring Wilson, will write the screenplay based on a spec by Andrew Knauer and Arthur Pielli. Wilson will produce with Todd Garner and Chris Bender. Jeremy Stein, Jake Wagner, Jake Weiner are executive producers.
Hardcastle will step into feature filmmaking after more than 20 years as a TV director, working on episodes for shows like “The Office,” “Parks & Recreation,” and “Grace & Frankie.” “Senior Year” will be Wilson’s return to the screen after a year-long break, having appeared in four films in 2019: “Isn’t It Romantic,” “The Hustle,” “Cats” and the Oscar-winning “Jojo Rabbit.”
Paramount Players is a new division of Paramount Pictures focusing on contemporary genre films from newer directors. Jeremy Kramer, former EVP of production at 20th Century Fox, was hired by Paramount last October as president of the division. Along with “Senior Year,” the studio’s upcoming slate includes an adaptation of the young adult hip-hop novel “On the Come Up” and the crime film “American Son” starring Russell Crowe and “If Beale Street Could Talk” star Stephan James.
Wilson is repped by WME in USA, Tavistock Wood in UK and Creative Representation in Australia. Hardcastle is repped by CAA, Artists First, and Kevin Marks at Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. Jones is repped CAA, Mosaic, and Josh Sandler at Granderson Des Rochers. The casting was first reported by Deadline.