Anna Kendrick & Blake Lively in talks to star in Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

After many years working within the realm of comedy, it seems that Paul Feig is ready to tackle something a little different. Per The Tracking Board, the GHOSTBUSTERS director has signed on to direct A SIMPLE FAVOR in which Blake Lively (THE SHALLOWS) and Anna Kendrick (PITCH PERFECT) are reportedly in talks to star.

Based upon the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, the thriller centers on a single mother whose life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes. A SIMPLE FAVOR is said to be in the same vein as GONE GIRL and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Jessica Sharzer (American Horror Story) will be penning the script, and, should Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively sign on, production is slated to get underway in August. However, this may present a conflict with LATE NIGHT, a Mindy Kaling comedy which Paul Feig was expected to direct, but Jeff Sneider added that The Mindy Project's Nisha Gantara may be the front-runner to replace Feig on LATE NIGHT.

Blake Lively will next be seen in ALL I SEE IS YOU, a psychological thriller which tells the story of a blind woman (Blake Lively) and her husband (Jason Clarke). When her sight unexpectedly returns, she begins to discover the previously unseen and disturbing details about themselves, their marriage and their lives. The Marc Forster flick will hit theaters on August 4, 2017. As for Anna Kendrick, you'll be able to catch her in PITCH PERFECT 3 on December 22, 2017.

A synopsis of "A Simple Favor" via Amazon:

It starts with a simple favor—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. Nicky and her son, Miles, are classmates and best friends, and the five-year-olds love being together—just like she and Emily. A widow and stay-at-home mommy blogger living in woodsy suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a sophisticated PR executive whose job in Manhattan demands so much of her time.

But Emily doesn’t come back. She doesn’t answer calls or return texts. Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong—Emily would never leave Nicky, no matter what the police say. Terrified, she reaches out to her blog readers for help. She also reaches out to Emily’s husband, the handsome, reticent Sean, offering emotional support. It’s the least she can do for her best friend. Then, she and Sean receive shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over. Or is it? Because soon, Stephanie will begin to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor—is as simple as it seems.

Sounds like it could be decent, and it will certainly be interesting to see what a Paul Feig thriller looks like.