Phoebe Waller-Bridge has seen her profile rise dramatically in the last few years, and along with her upcoming role inIndiana Jones 5with Harrison Ford, she has joined the cast of John Krasinski’s new fantasy comedy, which also stars Ryan Reynolds and Fiona Shaw. Formerly known asImaginary Friends, the now untitled project is set to shoot next summer for a November 2023 release.
English actressPhoebe Waller-Bridgebegan her career on stage, and gained a lot of attention forFleabag, first as a stage production and then a hit TV series in 2016 which won the actress an endless string of awards by the time its second and final season aired in 2019. Having since co-written the screenplay forNo Time To Die, voiced Sayan Kotor in the TV version ofHis Dark Materials, and then secured her role inIndiana Jones 5, she has certainly taken a step up from her first TV roles on secondary channels in the U.K.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins this new film at the same time asFiona Shaw, who have previously worked together in an episode ofFleabagand in the dramaKilling Eve. Shaw has been a constant presence on screen since the 1980s, having appeared in movies such asMy Left Foot, Three Men and A Little Lady, Super Mario Bros. and in theHarry Potterfranchise as Aunt Petunia Dursley. Next year she will be seen joining theStar Warsfranchise with a role in the Disney+ series,Andor.
There is currently not too much known about the new project, which was originally announced back in 2019 and will be produced by Paramount Pictures. The movie was subject to a fierce bidding war, which ended with Paramount beating off Sony, Lionsgate and more to pick up the project.John Krasinskiwill write, direct, produce and star in the film with Reynolds co-starring in the story of a man who is able to see and interact with the imaginary friends of other people, particularly those who have been abandoned and forgotten. However, like everyone down on their luck, some of these discarded friends have decided to turn to the dark side and it is down to Reynolds to save the world from their plotting.
Krasinski has shown his leading man abilities in the dramatic sense recently as the star and director ofA Quiet Place, as well as working on the sequel both for Paramount, so it is not surprising they were so keen to get their hands on this title, especially with Reynolds also being on board. Of course, Ryan Reynolds himself was part of another bidding war around the same time, when Apple took onSpirited, his musical take onA Christmas Carolwhich co-stars Will Ferrell and is expected to be released sometime in December 2022. Recently, Reynolds had a huge hit withFree Guy, and after completing filming onSpiritedannounced that he is taking a short break from acting and has been filmed by fans recently out and about in the U.K.
The movie formerly known asImaginary Friends is currently slated to arrive on November 17th, 2023. This story originated atThe Hollywood Reporter.
