Two of the creative minds behind the cult classic comedy series and film Strangers with Candy – Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello – are reuniting for a new feature film project, a comedic reimagining of the 1959 Roger Corman sci-fi horror film, The Wasp Woman.
The reunion marks a collaborative return for the long-time friends as Sedaris and Dinello, along with fellow Strangers with Candy co-creator Stephen Colbert, first met as cast members at The Second City touring company in the early ‘90s. They went on to create, write, and star in Strangers with Candy, which aired on Comedy Central for three seasons (1999–2000). The outrageous comedy series achieved cult status through reruns and home entertainment sales, inspiring a new generation of writer-actor-comedians with its singularly off-putting heroine, Jerri Blank, played by Sedaris. The show’s creators later produced a successful film adaptation, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and featured a star-studded cast including Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Justin Theroux, Sir Ian Holm, and Allison Janney.
The new film will follow the original plot of The Wasp Woman, focusing on Janice Starlin, the founder of a cosmetics company who attempts to reverse the aging process using experimental enzymes derived from queen wasps, with disastrous results.
“I love working with these guys. Can’t wait!” says Sedaris sharing her excitement for the project.
Paul Dinello, who served as writer/supervising producer for The Late Show, is set to write and direct the new film alongside his longtime collaborators.
“When I read the story about a former supermodel turned dynamic businesswoman who slowly metamorphosed into a violent insect, I immediately thought, Amy Sedaris.” says Dinello
It is likely that Sedaris will tap her comedy friends for the project, with additions to the cast to be announced throughout pre-production. Joseph Middleton, who previously worked on the Strangers with Candy film and served as head of casting at Paramount for a decade, is on board to assemble the cast.
Producers on the project are Mark Roberts, who produced the Strangers with Candy film, Jordan Fields of Radial Entertainment, which owns the Roger Corman library via its Shout! Studios brand, Meyer Shwarzstein of Another Brainy Idea, and Michael Richter of A Major Production.
