Having a renowned drug and alcohol problem by the age of thirteen would not normally be seen as a credible precursor to one day being largely responsible for a business venture risking tens of millions of dollars. At thirty? Mandatory. But not at thirteen. So the fact that
Drew Barrymore is being given a second directing/producing role
with an adaptation of the romantic comedy novel
How To Be Single is, in many ways, quite remarkable. Following a successful career in, ostensibly, fairly tepid romantic comedies, Barrymore made her directorial debut with Whip It, a punchy female high-school tale of misfit resistance and which received a moderately positive response from the serious cinematic press- a none too shabby return for a neophyte director-despite having an undeservedly modest return at the box-office. Her second film will also be an adaptation and will also take her back to the romantic comedy genre, this time of an extremely popular novel by
Liz Tuccillo, and will be penned by
Marc Silverstein and
Abby Kohn (Valentines Day, He's Just Not That Into You). The film depicts the relationships of several New York couples over the course of the decade in what is likely to be a rather middle-class affair with a large ensemble of thesps... no surprise there given the screenwriters! Barrymores company Flower Films (formed with Nancy Juvonen) will produce along with New Line Cinema.