There’s already a lot to like about Empress of Serenity. Jesse Andrews, the guy wrote Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and the screenplay for its movie adaptation, is making his directorial debut on this film, which he also wrote. Though it’s an original concept, it’s loosely inspired by A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by the late David Foster Wallace. To make this film even more appealing, funny man Bill Hader has been announced to star in the film.

Wallace’s book stems from an essay he wrote about his experience traveling on a luxury cruise ship for a week in 1955. Andrews’ story, however, centers on a man (played by Hader) who goes on a cruise to bond with his father, who in turn offers his son advice on his intimacy issues. Deadline included more details on the story, which sees this man as an animal rights lawyer who is shocked over the news of his mother’s death.

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Image via Universal Pictures

The Wrap was the first to announce the news of the film, the casting of Hader, and the involvement of producer Stephen Chbosky. (In a similar fashion to Andrews, Chbosky wrote both the book and screenplay for the movie adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.)

This project marks another interesting turn for Hader, who graduated SNL with roles in The Skeleton Twins with Kristen Wiig, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Trainwreck with Amy Schumer, and Pixar’s Inside Out as the voice of Fear. We’ll see him soon (or, at least, hear him) in the animated Angry Birds movie, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s animated comedy Sausage Party, and Steven Spielberg’s The BFG. As for Andrews, his beloved book became a critically acclaimed film that initially sparked a massive bidding war for rights during the Sundance Film Festival. My hope is that he blows Empress of Serenity out of the water and solidifies his stance in the film circuit.


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