Tilda Swinton Makes Plans for Possible 'Auntie Mame' Adaptation With Annie Mumolo
Tilda Swinton (left) as The Ancient One with Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange’ (Photo: Film Frame/Marvel)
Tilda Swinton takes her place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe later this year as the mystical sorcerer known as the Ancient One in the much-anticipated big-screen version of Doctor Strange. And according to one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed screenwriters, the actress has her eye on another role as a mentor — albeit of a far different sort — in a potential heavyweight adaptation.
In a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair’s Julie Miller, actress and screenwriter Annie Mumolo, a member of the ensemble cast in this Friday’s Bad Moms, reveals that Swinton was a big fan of Bridesmaids, which Mumolo wrote with Kristen Wiig (and which earned them both a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the 2012 Academy Awards).
‘Bad Moms’: Watch a trailer:
Before long, the two were regularly corresponding over email. Eventually, Swinton suggested that they work together on a new version of Auntie Mame, the best-selling 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis (about a boy sent to live with his free-spirited aunt) that’s been previously turned into a movie twice (in 1958 starring Rosalind Russell, and in 1974 with Lucille Ball), as well as a Broadway musical. “I said yes,” Mumolo tells Vanity Fair, “because you say yes to Tilda Swinton when she asks if you want to do something.”
While there’s no set timetable for when this updated Auntie Mame might arrive in theaters, Mumolo sounds as if the project is moving full-steam ahead, telling Vanity Fair:
“I read the book and it was one of the most fun reads I’ve ever had. It’s totally different from what I had seen in the movie versions,” Mumolo says. “We had meetings and then, as I got a little overwhelmed with a few other work things, I brought on a co-writer to work together on this, because it’s a huge job and an adaptation. I brought on a friend of mine—Stan Chervin [the Oscar-nominated ‘Moneyball’ co-screenwriter].”
Related: ‘Bad Moms’ Stars Share Their Own Bad Mom Stories at CinemaCon
Mumolo added that she’ll jump back into the project after her Bad Moms promotional obligations are fulfilled: “I’m really excited about it. You’re always feeling you have to prove yourself, and then once you do that, you’re onto the next thing and you feel like you have to prove yourself again.”
Read the full Mumolo article at Vanity Fair’s website. Bad Moms is in theaters on Friday, and Swinton’s Doctor Strange debuts on Nov. 4.
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