Olivia Wilde is setting her directorial debut “Booksmart” with Annapurna Pictures and cast Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein to star.
The pic is being produced by Annapurna and Gloria Sanchez, the female-focused production banner wing of Gary Sanchez Productions. Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, and Megan Ellison are producing for Annapurna and Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay are producing for Gloria Sanchez.
The story follows Dever and Feldstein’s characters, who, on the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends suddenly realize that they should have worked less and played more. Determined never to fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
The original script is by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, with initial revisions by Susanna Fogel, and current revisions by Katie Silberman. “Booksmart,” with female stars, writers, and director, fits in well with Elbaum’s original goal when she first came up with the idea for Gloria Sanchez: to give more opportunities to women in the industry.
Wilde’s film credits include “Meadowland,” which she also produced; “Her”; and “Rush.” She also executive produced a slew of short documentaries, including Oscar-nominated “Body Team 12.” On the directing side, she has helmed music videos for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. She will next be seen in “A Vigilante,” premiering at SXSW, and Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself.” She is repped by WME, Untitled, and Ziffren Brittenham, LLP.
Dever can be seen next in Lynn Shelton’s “Outside In,” which will bow this spring by the Orchard and Netflix, and “Beautiful Boy,” which opens Oct. 12. She also has credits for writing and performing an original song in Jason Reitman’s upcoming film “Tully.” She is repped by UTA and Felker Toczek.
Feldstein had her breakout role in the Universal comedy “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” and followed that up as Saoirse Ronan’s friend in “Lady Bird.” She is repped by WME and Brillstein.
Justin Kroll / Variety
