Netflix Rom-Com ‘Hope’ From ‘Legally Blonde’ Writers Will Star Aubrey Plaza
Having survived the attacks of Chucky the killer doll inChild’s Play,Aubrey Plazais now moving on to less deadly fare. The eternally droll actress will star in the Netflix rom-comHope, written by the screenwriters ofLegally Blonde,10 Things I Hate About You,and more.Jackie van BeekandMadeleine Samiwill direct the film. What’s it about? We don’t know! Details are being kept secret. But Plaza’s presence alone makes this worth paying attention to.
Deadlinebroke the news aboutHope, the new Netflix rom-com starring Aubrey Plaza. And this, dear reader, is my least favorite type of news story. Why? Here’s why: as Deadline writes thatHope’s “plotline is under wraps,” meaning we have no idea what this is about. Give us something to work with here, Netflix! What’s so secretive about your new rom-com? What are you hiding? Are the Illuminati involved? I demand answers.
Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami, the New Zealand duo behind the comedyThe Breaker Upperers, will direct from a script byKaren McCullahandKirsten “Kiwi” Smith, who are responsible for the scripts forThe House Bunny, Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth, 10 Things I Hate About You,andShe’s the Man.Netflix saysHopeis “a passion project for the duo,” so make of that what you will.
Plaza, who rose to prominence as April Ludgate onParks and Recreation, has been amassing an eclectic film career. And while it could be argued she often plays the same role over and over – the dry, sarcastic weirdo – she always turns in an interesting performance. She even managed to make her woefully underwritten part in theChild’s Playremake watchable. And she’s appeared in some rom-com adjacent films before, likeThe To-Do ListandSafety Not Guaranteed, so this shouldn’t be totally unfamiliar territory for her.
Netflix has been going hard on the rom-com genre in a big way lately.To All the Boys I Loved Beforewas a breakout hit and inspired a sequel. They also have buzzed-about titles likeAlways Be My Maybe,Set It Up, and a whole slew of questionable Christmas romance movies likeThe Christmas PrinceandRebel Without a Claus, which is a movie I just made up but that you probably believed was real for a second, didn’t you?
