Welp, Universal can go ahead and take all our money. Per Marie Claire, the production company won a hot bidding war over the rights of an as-of-yet untitled but reportedly brilliant comedy starring Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra. As far as buddy films go, we can’t think of a better duo at the helm — especially considering how close to home the plot of this wedding caper hits for Chopra. The film, which takes place in America and India, tells the story of a huge Indian wedding and the ensuing culture clash it creates. In December 2018, Chopra married Nick Jonas in a huge and glamorous Indian wedding. Could this be a case of art imitating life?
It goes without saying that the mere fact Kaling and Chopra are working together points toward the film’s inevitable greatness. Plus, in addition to starring, Kaling has the option to direct. She’ll be writing the film with Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator and executive producer Dan Goor. With talent like that, it’s little wonder that Legendary, Sony, Netflix, Amazon Studios and Universal all fought to get ahold of this two-star vehicle. Then, of course, there’s the content. Who isn’t a sucker for a solid wedding romantic comedy? And Deadline reveals that this one is already being described as “Crazy Rich Asians meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
Any real rom-com fan surely understands the weight of those words. ICYMI, though, here’s a quick reminder. Crazy Rich Asians was the box office smash of 2018, earning a slew of award nominations and wins (not to mention maintaining a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score). My Big Fat Greek Wedding was the 2002 box office smash no one saw coming. Despite a small budget and limited theatrical release, it spent almost a year in theaters and went on to become the second-highest-earning rom-com in history, behind Pretty Woman. So, being dubbed a hybrid of these two movies is practically being paid the highest compliment.
This wedding caper isn’t Kaling’s only hot project she has in the works. Earlier in the year, a title she scripted, Late Night, similarly created a buzzed-about auction. Amazon Studios won the rights to it for $13 million — a record for a U.S. rights deal at Sundance, according to Deadline. That film, which is slated for June 7 release on Amazon, will star Emma Thompson. And let’s not forget that Kaling is also working with Matt Warburton to adapt 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral into a modern TV series for MGM Television and Hulu.
We say ‘I do’ to all of the above, but we really can’t wait to toast Kaling and Chopra’s success.
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