UPDATE: 20th Century Studios announced at CinemaCon that James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay,” which is currently in production, will release in 2025. The cast includes Rebecca Hall, Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Ayo Edibiri, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, Jack Lowden and Spike Fearn
EARLIER 11.23.23: As much as I was disappointed by James L. Brooks’ last film, 2010’s “How do You Know,” it’s very hard not to get excited about his latest project, set to be his first film in over 13 years.
Last week, we had reported about Brooks’ “Ella McCay” being in development and now Deadline is giving us more details about it, including the actors chosen to be part of this latest Brooks joint.
The talented players involved include Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Ayo Edibiri, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani and Spike Fearn. Production is set to begin next month on the film. So, it’s not a stretch to believe it might get released sometime next year.
Here’s the Deadline piece.
“Ella McCay” will follow an idealistic young politician who juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.
Brooks, 83, has only directed six films in his four-decade filmmaking career, but three of those films were classics (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News” and “As Good As It Gets”). His last film was 2010’s “How Do You Know,” which also happened to be the last time Jack Nicholson appeared in a movie.
I do have to, again, mention that Brooks told People, just a week ago, that he was trying to get Nicholson out of retirement. He’s worked with the legendary actor four times, and he’s probably hoping to get him to appear again in “Ella McCay.” Wouldn’t that be great?
I actually find that number optimistic. Tickets for “Digger” go on sale next Tuesday, and presales will give us a better picture of how bad it’s looking.