This hardly seems like news. Director
Judd Apatow has been casting his wife
Leslie Mann as far back as
Freaks and Geeks, and indeed each of the three features Apatow has directed (
40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) held supporting roles for her, as well as countless others he has produced. The reason that this is news is simply because it will be the first time that Mann is cast to
LEAD one of her husbands projects. Infact, lead a film for any director for that matter. The project is called
Business Trip, a first screenplay by
Stacey Harman about a group of women on a corporate trip that is filled with anything but business and it's already being touted as the 'female
Hangover'. Apatow only helms the screenplays he has written, so this is unlikely to be his fourth directed film, but will produce.
Business Trip is a project that was already at Universal before Apatow became attached and Mann became attached. Shooting is set to begin January 2011, with no director yet chosen. The rest of the female cast is also yet to be picked out, which could say a great deal about the final project. Not many comedies allow female leads, and even fewer have an ensemble female cast. There is great potential then in the concept, though the execution could ultimately be a letdown. Remember
The Sweetest Thing, the raunchy road trip comedy with
Cameron Diaz?
Setting aside how Mann will do in a leading role for one moment, I am actually more interested in who will be cast next. What actresses would help to elevate
Business Trip to greatness? If
Business Trip is indeed the female
Hangover, who will be the Zach Galifianakis in this analogy? Im assuming that there will be either two or three supporting female leads, and I can already think of a number of actresses that would be great in these roles. The only actress/comedian I can see able to compete with the Galifianakis contribution to
The Hangover, however, is
Sarah Silverman. Presumably, Apatow regular
Kristen Wiig may co-star, though she has
her own Apatow leading role already deep in development.