Deadline has brought word that the upcoming Ted Melfi-helmed drama The Starling has expanded its already star-studded cast led by Melissa McCarthy (The Kitchen) and Chris O’Dowd (Get Shorty) with the additions of Kevin Kline (Beauty and the Beast) and Timothy Olyphant (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
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The comedy, which landed on the Black List, was scripted by Matt Harris and follows a married couple as they deal with grief following a horrible tragedy. While the husband (played by O’Dowd) departs to grieve elsewhere, the wife, named Lily Maynard (played by McCarthy) stays home to tend to the garden he built for her in the backyard. The problem is: an enormous black starling has taken up residence nearby. Presumably, the film will deal with Lily’s attempts to rid her life of the bird, following the advice of a psychiatrist-turned-vet. Per Deadline, “the film is an allegorical tale of how love can carry one through grief.”
Olyphant’s role is currently being kept under wraps but Kline has signed on to portray the psychiatrist-turned-vet, who is also described as having baggage from his own life weighing him down and make a large impact on Lily’s life.
In addition to Olyphant and Kline, the cast has also expanded to include Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting), Skyler Gisondo (Santa Clarita Diet), Loretta Devine (Night School), Laura Harrier (BlacKkKlansman), Rosalind Chao (Mulan) and Kimberly Quinn (Hidden Figures).
The film is fully financed by Limelight with plans to start shooting this summer. Dylan Sellers, Chris Parker, Melfi and Quinn will produce, while Alex Dong is executive producing.
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The Starling was apparently positioned as a starring vehicle for Keanu Reeves and Isla Fisher at one point with director Dome Karukoski attached to direct, but that obviously never came to fruition. In fact, the script originally called for a male lead to battle the bird, but that has since been changed now that McCarthy has boarded the project.
(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)
