Signature Films announced today that Academy Award-nomineeToni Collette(The Sixth Sense,Hereditary), Anna Faris (The House Bunny, Overboard) and Academy Award-nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Divorce, Spider-Man 3) will star inThe Estate,for writer/director Dean Craig (Death at a Funeral, Love Wedding Repeat). Signature Films’ Marc Goldberg and Sarah Gabriel will produce alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Alison Benson’s Pretty Matches Productions. Executive Producers include Capstone Global’s Christian Mercuri and David Haring and Thruline’s Josh Kesselman.
Signature Films and Capstone Global are financingThe Estate,which revolves around two sisters, Macey (Toni Collette) and Savanna (Anna Faris), who learn their wealthy but estranged Aunt Hilda is terminally ill. Seeing this as an opportunity to get her inheritance and rescue their dying café, the sisters plan to improve their bitter relationship and cater to Hilda’s needs. Arriving to Aunt Hilda’s extravagant estate, they find that they are not the only ones in the family with shifted morals.
Their cousins Beatrice and Richard (Thomas Haden Church) have come with the same plan to swoon Hilda into giving them her estate. Soon, it becomes a battle amongst the eclectic family as to who can impress the matriarch the most and come out on top.
Signature’s Marc Goldberg said: “Dean’s knack for farce is one of a kind. We look forward to bringing this comedy to life and working with this extraordinary group of talent; Toni, Anna and Thomas couldn’t be more perfectly cast.”
Toni Collette (United States of Tara) was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Sixth Sense. Notable credits include Ari Aster’sHereditaryfor A24 andRian Johnson’sKnives Outfor Lionsgate. Collette can next be seen in Guillermo del Toro’sNightmare Alleystarring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Beaver, which Searchlight is releasing on December 17th.
Anna Faris is known for her starring roles inOverboardfor MGM/Lionsgate,The House Bunnyfor Columbia Pictures,Scary Moviefranchise for Dimension Films, andJust Friendsfor New Line Cinema, as well as CBS’ long running seriesMom. Faris also is the host of acclaimed podcast ‘Anna Faris is Unqualified.’
Thomas Haden Church was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance inSidewaysand can next be seen inSpider-Man: No Way Homestarring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, Benedict Wong, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe and Rhys Ifans. which Columbia Pictures will release this month.
Dean Craigmost recently wrote and directed the No.1 Netflix hit,Love, Wedding Repeat,starring Olivia Munn, Sam Claflin. He wrote both the UK and American version ofDeath at a Funeral.Directed by Frank Oz, the UK version starred Matthew Macfayden and Peter Dinklage while the American was directed by Neil LaBute and starred Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover and Regina Hall. Craig is in post-production onThe Honeymoonstarring Maria Bakalova.
