Jason Bateman, whose second feature just debuted to rave reviews at TIFF, is next developing a comedy with Universal Pictures. In THE GIRLFRIEND, the Arrested Development star will play a father whose twenty-year-old son starts dating a much older woman closer to his father’s age. Bateman’s a triple threat on this one: directing, starring, and producing under his shingle, Aggregate Films.
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Sandra Bullock are a few of the names being tossed around for the female lead, though no actress has been offered the role as of yet. Jim Garavente is overseeing development for Aggregate, while Jon Mone will oversee for the studio.
Ever since his debut with Bad Words, Bateman has launched headfirst into directing, with several project on the horizon. His second outing, an adaptation of the NY Times bestseller The Family Fang, has already emerged as a critical darling following its premiere at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival.
Bateman, who most recently starred in the immensely well-reviewed thriller The Gift, is directing and producing two other comedies for Universal under his first-look deal with studio. The wedding comedy FBI Wedding, which he’ll also star in, and the action/comedy The Disappeared, which has Brian Grazer on board to produce.
He’ll next be heard in Disney’s animated adventure Zootopia, which features Bateman as the voice of Nick Wilde, a con-artist fox who’s forced to team with a bunny cop in order to crack a case.
Bateman’s repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
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