Shiri Appleby is set to make her feature-length directorial debut for Disney+… after pitching the project over video chat amid the coronavirus lockdown
She’s best known for her roles on the sci-fi series Roswell and the reality TV–themed Unreal.
Now Shiri Appleby is set to expand her oeuvre as the director of a Disney+ original movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It was reported Friday that the 41-year-old actress and director is in talks to helm the body-switching romantic comedy Wouldn’t It Be Nice after cutting her teeth directing multiple TV episodes.
Stepping up: Shiri Appleby, 41, is in talks to make her feature directing debut with the Disney+ original movie Wouldn’t It Be Nice, according to The Hollywood Reporter; shown January 30
The (tentative) deal appears to be one of the first to be made during the coronavirus outbreak, which affected how Shiri got the job.
The Girls actress reportedly made her pitch and shared her vision for the project with Disney executives via Zoom, the widely used videoconferencing program.
The service has become popular among those working from home while socially distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak.
So far, Wouldn’t It Be Nice hasn’t been greenlit by Disney, but if the deal is finalized, Shiri would likely become the first director to make a successful pitch in this fashion.
High concept: The romantic comedy follows a brainy high school girl and a football star who wake up one morning to find they’re married and 20 years have passed; pictured in 2018
Video chat: Shiri made her pitch to Disney executives while social distancing at home via Zoom. If she gets the job she may be the first director to get a project in that manner; shown January 30
The film follows a brainy yet socially isolated high school girl and her polar opposite, a popular star of the football team.
The two wake up one morning to find out that 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye and they’re married with a life they never planned for.
The long-gestating film had been in development at Disney going back to 2009.
The current version of the film would be produced by Andrew Gunn and written by Emma Fletcher, though at least four other writers have previously tried their hand at a screenplay.
Disney+ launched in November 2019 to a mixed reception due to its buggy site, but the streamer has quickly moved to amass high-profile original content in addition to its formidable library.
Disney is expected to keep the majority of its non-family friendly entertainment options on Hulu, which may also become a home for films from the recently merged 20th Century Fox.
About time: The long-gestating project has been in development with Disney since 2009, though it may finally be ready to see the light of day; pictured January 30 with Tika Sumpter
Rising star: Shiri came into her stride as a director with four episodes for her well-reviewed Lifetime/Hulu series Unreal, and more recently she helmed an episode of ABC’s Mixed-ish
In addition to her successful acting career, Shiri began directing in 2012 with a one-off episode of Dating Rules From My Future Self, which she also starred in.
She returned to directing in 2016 for her acclaimed Lifetime/Hulu series Unreal, and went on to direct four episodes up until the show’s conclusion in 2018.
Most recently, she led an episode of Mixed-ish, the spin-off to ABC’s popular comedy series Black-ish.
The Roswell star returned to the series that made her a star, sort of, when she directed two episode of Roswell, New Mexico, the CW series adapted from the same set of young adult novels that inspired the original show.
Back to the well: Her most recent directing project was an episode of Roswell, New Mexico, adapted from the same YA novels that inspired her WB/UPN series Roswell; pictured in 1999