Bill Hader to Write, Direct and Star in ‘They Know’ — Linda Cardellini to Co-Star

Some of the work Bill Hader delivered in his acclaimed HBO series “Barry” was impressively inventive — especially the action sequences. The guy knows how to build taut, tense, and terrific set pieces.

It is with high anticipation that “Barry” fans have been wondering when Hader’s much-promised feature directing debut would occur. After all, it’s been three years since “Barry” concluded its four-season run, and Hader had already hinted at three potential scripts he was working on.

We now have an update: Nexus Point News is reporting that he has finally set up his debut — Linda Cardellini (“Green Book”) is in talks to star opposite Hader in “They Know,” which he is writing, directing, and producing.

“They Know” centers on a recently separated man who starts suspecting that his wife and children might be under the sway of their new neighbor. Cardellini is set to play the wife, while Hader will take on the role of her estranged husband, Kyle. Casting for the remaining roles is still in progress.

Hader directed some of the most acclaimed episodes of “Barry,” including the show’s final eight. Hell, even Guillermo Del Toro was a major fan of what he saw , and hasn’t been shy in expressing his love for Hader’s hitman comedy. Del Toro wrote in 2019:

I used to admire Bill Hader as an actor (not just comedy, the man has huge range) but now I feel that way about him as director. Hader is a massive well-cultured Cinephile and a punctillious storyteller. His added advantage is to value disruptive violence, Pathos and humor as things that happen often all at once.

“Barry,” which aired on HBO, followed Hader as a hitman whose trip to Los Angeles to carry out an assassination goes disastrously wrong, leading him, unexpectedly, to join an acting class, taught by a scene-stealing Henry Winkler.

How far along in development is “They Know”? It seems to certainly be moving fast. It should be noted that Hader is currently also working on an HBO limited series, which he plans to direct, based on the 1978 Jonestown massacre — meaning he’s quite literally making a Kool-Aid movie.