Entertainment

Kristen Wiig's Directoral Debut Sounds Amazeballs

by Alanna Bennett

Excuse me, I've gotta get this out of my system: YAASSS. YAAAAASSSSS. *Clears throat* There we go. Ok. So. Saturday Night Live alum and everyone's favorite Harry Styles impersonator Kristen Wiig is officially directing her first feature film. That feature film, it turns out, will be a buddy comedy co-starring Wiig and Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo. I'm sorry, I gotta do this again: YAAAAAAAASSSS.

Ahem. For those who slept through 2011, Wiig and Mumolo co-wrote the smash hit Bridesmaids together. For their work they were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay together, as well as a BAFTA. Wiig got a lot of the glory in that she was also the star of the film, but we've gotta give their team-up its rightful due — especially with them teaming up again, this time with Mumolo joining in as a lead.

The film will take place in one of those generic California movie towns — this one called Vista Del Mar — and according to a statement it will follow “best friends who find themselves in over their heads and out of their depths, which were, perhaps, not too deep to begin with.” Wiig and Mumolo also used the statement to highlight their excitement over the project:

We’re very excited to be writing. We will be going into a cave for months to finish. An actual cave. We found one that’s nice and big. We’re putting a couch in there.

It's no secret that Hollywood is seriously lacking in female directors, and this is especially exasperated in the comedy world. Having Wiig — already a very respected force in that world, and one who's proven her box office draw before — spearheading this as a director is pretty damn great. This is especially true given how aware Wiig seems of the constant gender disparity behind the scenes. “I’ve been wanting to direct for some time now. This seems like the perfect first project," she said in the statement. And Thomas E. Rothman — the president of the film's producer, TriStar Entertainment — seems invested in balancing things out a little, as well. As the Times puts it (emphasis ours):

By being a feminine answer to The Hangover and other male-oriented comedies, “Bridesmaids” was also credited with starting a new female empowerment movement in pop culture and breaking down barriers for women in Hollywood. Studios followed up with other atypical female-driven comedies like The Heat, Pitch Perfect and The To Do List. But predicted gender changes behind the camera have not materialized. Of the 129 films scheduled for wide release in 2014, only four come from female filmmakers. “That makes no sense,” Mr. Rothman said. “Everybody talks about it needing to change, but Kristen actually wants to do something about it.”

Between Wiig's new gig and Elizabeth Banks acting as director for Pitch Perfect 2 , maybe — just maybe — we'll get more hilarious movies with ladies in those director's chairs.