New Project: Kristen to star in 'Happiest Season'

Kristen Stewart is in talks to star in TriStar Pictures’ “Happiest Season,” sources tell Variety.

The studio acquired worldwide rights to the pic from writing duo Clea DuVall and Mary Holland earlier this year. DuVall is also on board to direct, which would mark her directorial debut at the studio level.

Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill.

The film tells the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.

Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi will oversee the project for TriStar Pictures.

Stewart already has a good relationship with Sony, which owns TriStar, as she is currently set to star in the studio’s reboot of “Charlie’s Angels.” The movie is being directed by Elizabeth Banks and also stars Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska.

In addition to “Charlie’s Angels,” Stewart has a handful of films set to bow in 2019 that include the Chernin movie “Underwater” as well as “Against All Enemies,” in which she will star as actress Jean Seberg. She was most recently seen in the Lizzie Borden film “Lizzie.”

She is repped by Gersh.

More details from an article in Variety in April 2018.

“Mary and I are beyond thrilled to be working with TriStar and Temple Hill,” said DuVall. “‘Happiest Season’ is extremely important to us, and we could not ask for a better team to collaborate with to bring it to the screen.”

The pic tells the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.

“Teaming up with Clea to write ‘Happiest Season’ has been a highlight of my life,” said Holland. “I am so proud of what we created, and am thrilled to be partnering with TriStar and Temple Hill in bringing it to life!”

“Happiest Season’ is a refreshingly modern comedy about the complexity of navigating romantic relationships and family dynamics,” said Hannah Minghella, president of TriStar Pictures. “Clea and Mary have written a hilarious and heart-warming movie full of emotional truth that is sure to become a holiday classic. We’re proud that TriStar is partnering with Clea and Temple Hill to make this film.”

“In ‘Happiest Season,’ Clea and Mary have come up with a brilliant twist on the Christmas comedy that is laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving,” said Marty Bowen. “It manages to be both timely and timeless in the best of ways and we think it’s a holiday classic in the making.”

Update: 24 January 2019 (via THR)

Mackenzie Davis is in talks to join Kristen Stewart in TriStar's lesbian romantic comedy Happiest Season.

The movie centers on a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.

The studio had no comment on Mackenzie's casting, but The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Davis and Stewart will be playing the film's romantic leads.

Actress-turned-director Clea Duvall will be making her studio directing debut on the feature, which she co-wrote with Mary Holland. The project will be produced by Temple Hill's Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner and Jaclyn Huntling. Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi will oversee the project for TriStar.

Davis broke out on the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire, going on to book roles in such big-budget studio films as The Martian and Blade Runner 2049. She also has been tapped to star in Tim Miller's upcoming Terminator reboot, joining franchise stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Update: 15 May 2019 (Deadline)

Entertainment One (eOne) will co-finance Happiest Season, TriStar Pictures’ holiday romantic comedy directed by Clea DuVall and starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis. The pic is set for a U.S. release on November 20, 2020.

DuVall and Mary Holland co-wrote the screenplay, which will begin shooting in January [13 January 2020 in Pittsburgh according to Production Weekly via TeamK_1]. It follows a young woman (Stewart) whose plan to propose to her girlfriend (Davis) while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.

eOne will also handle distribution for the United Kingdom and Canada while TriStar will distribute in all other territories.

Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner of Temple Hill are producing. Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi are overseeing the project for TriStar Pictures. Nick Meyer and Zev Foreman are overseeing for eOne.

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