EXCLUSIVE: Jay Roach and longtime producing partner Michelle Graham are on board to produce a new female-driven ensemble comedy for New Line, Deadline has learned.
The film’s title and plot are being kept under wraps for now. Larry Stuckey & Joanna Leeds are adapting the screenplay from a story they conceived with Joanna’s brother, Andrew Leeds. The project reunites Roach with Stuckey, who began his film career as a development exec for Roach before associate producing and contributing to the writing of his iconic comedy Meet the Fockers and co-writing follow-up Little Fockers.
Roach returns to New Line after directing the Austin Powers trilogy for the studio. His extensive filmography also includes comedies like Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and The Campaign, as well as such prestige dramas as Trumbo and Bombshell, which received a combined four Oscar nominations, with Bombshell winning one. Roach also earned major accolades for directing the political dramas Recount, Game Change and All the Way. Additional producing credits include The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Sisters and Borat. His most recent projects include directing the Searchlight film The Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, and producing Focker-In-Law, the latest installment in the Fockers franchise starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Ariana Grande, which is out November 25. He is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Behr Abramson Levy Johnson.
Joanna Leeds created and stars in the series Bulldozer, which premiered at Sundance and went on to win the Audience Award at SXSW. She also appears in the latest season of Monster and recurs on HBO’s Rooster. She is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment and Toczek Suddleson.
An Emmy-nominated actor, writer and director, Andrew Leeds wrote and directed the Bulldozer pilot and has written and produced pilots for ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and Showtime. His acting credits include The Patient, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Barry. He is repped by Gersh, Perennial Entertainment and Toczek Suddleson.
Stuckey is repped by 3 Arts and Gendler, Kelly & Cunningham.
