It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Scarlett Johansson in a comedy. Actually, our fair ScarJo’s IMDb profile would suggest she’s rarely done comedy, preferring instead to dive deep into life’s inky black alien-murder pools. There was Don Jon, which skewed a bit dark, sure, but definitely saw her riffing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There was He’s Just Not That Into You, which was allegedly a comedy, but actually just a depressing look at the way Hollywood thinks women handle and/or misinterpret romantic relationships. I suppose The Nanny Diaries was sort of a comedy, too? Anyway, my point is it’s high time that Johansson took on a role that let her lighten up for a second, even if just to give her a quick breather before she Ghost in the Shells.
Which is why it’s welcome news that, according to Deadline, Johansson’s in negotiations for an upcoming R-rated comedy called Move That Body. In classic Johansson fashion, the comedy is on the blacker side. Here’s the logline: “Five friends rent a beach house in Miami for a bachelorette weekend and accidentally kill a male stripper.” Sources further describe the film as “The Hangover meets Weekend At Bernie’s.” Welp, this sounds fantastic — and realistic, as nine out of 10 bachelorette parties end in accidental male-stripper death. I suppose it wouldn’t be a Scarlett Johansson joint if there wasn’t some form of murder, accidental or otherwise.
Deadline adds, quite delightfully, that Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello — writers for Broad City — penned the script for Move That Body, which means it will likely be a raucous, raunchy, weed-ridden, feminist sh*tshow of a film. The script hit the 2015 Black List yesterday, though Sony won it in a bidding battle this summer, likely because the studio is also working with the writing duo on a 21 Jump Street spin-off franchise. Aniello is also set to direct, and Downs (who also plays Abbi’s Soulstice boss Trey on Broad City) will co-star, ideally as the murdered male stripper.
If it wasn’t already clear, I am here for this movie, in no small part thanks to what is possibly the best titular pun I’ve ever encountered. Sony, might I suggest Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence, Ilana Glazer, and Saoirse Ronan to play the other four friends? The first three are obvious choices; the latter I’ve chosen because she’s great and I’d really like her to kick back with a blunt and chill for a sec, too.
