Melissa McCarthy to star as Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Melissa McCarthy's next film looks as though it may be a little different than her usual big-screen fare. As it's based upon a true story I'd imagine that there will be no ghosts, wacky disguises, or the voiding of ones bowels in a sink. Stranger things have happened I suppose. Variety reports that McCarthy is set to star in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, a dark comedy which follows the life of Lee Israel, a writer who took to forging letters from deceased celebrities in order to make ends meet.

Israel originally made her living in the 1970s and ’80s by writing biographies of Hollywood stars, but after falling out of step with the current tastes and finding that she was no longer able to get published, she turned to forging and selling letters which she claimed were from deceased writers and actors. After her forgeries began to raise suspicion, she then turned to stealing actual letters from library archives and sold those as well. Adapted from Lee Israel's memoir of the same name, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME originally had Nicole Holofcener (ENOUGH SAID) set to write and direct the film with Julianne Moore in the lead role. Moore exited the project last year due to creative differences, at which point Holofcener was no longer available to direct. Marielle Heller (THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL) is now attached to direct the film, using Nicole Holofcener's script, and production will kick off early next year.

Our next dose of Melissa McCarthy will arrive on July 15, 2016 with GHOSTBUSTERS.