Olivia Wilde Rounds Up Star-Studded Cast for Date Night Comedy Based on Spanish Film With 100% RT Score

Olivia Wilde has secured her spot as one of the most interesting female directors following her directorial debut in 2019 with the critically acclaimed Booksmart. Her sophomore project, 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling, was covered in controversy and critically panned, but was still a hit with the audience and a commercial success.

With several other projects as director on the way, Wilde has a brand-new film: the date night comedy The Invite. Per Variety, her new movie is inspired by the Spanish film Sentimental. The Invite will also reunite her with Seth Rogen after working together on The Studio, and the two will star alongside Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.

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Sentimental, which was officially marketed as The People Upstairs, was released in 2020. It had Cesc Gay at the helm, and starred Javier Cámara, Griselda Siciliani, Belén Cuesta, and Alberto San Juan. The movie was nominated for several awards, including five Goya Awards. It was based on Gay’s stage play Los Vecinos de Arriba (The Neighbors Upstairs), and has already received several remakes in different languages.

The Spanish comedy boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics, and enthusiastic reviews from the audience, as well, holding 84% on the Popcornmeter. Sentimental follows a couple who have been together for 15 years, and they decide to invite a younger, more thrilling couple for a get-together that leads to unexpected events.

The Invite‘s official logline notes it follows “a couple [who] invites the neighbors over, igniting an evening full of unexpected twists and turns, revealing deeply repressed emotions and unexplored sexuality.” Principal photography has already started in Los Angeles, California.

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Ben Browning is producing through FilmNation Entertainment, alongside Megan Ellison through Annapurna Pictures, and David Permut. Patrick Chu is executive producing, with FilmNation Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures co-financing.

Olivia Wilde Has Had Success as a Director

Wilde started her career as an actress, with key roles in the TV show House, and films like Tron: Legacy, Her, and more, with multiple projects coming up. However, she has also made her mark as a director. Her directorial debut, Booksmart, was a major success. It has a near-perfect 96% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a Certified Fresh badge, and 77% from the audience. It was also a box office hit, grossing $24.9 million worldwide against a modest budget of $6 million.

Her follow-up, Don’t Worry Darling, was more controversial. With rumors of a feud between her and Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh, her relationship with pop star/ lead actor Harry Styles, and Styles’ spitgate with Chris Pine, the film was the 2022 equivalent of the controversial It Ends With Us. Even with the drama and the abysmal 38% from the critics, the audience enjoyed the film, giving it a good-enough 74% score on the Popcornmeter. The movie was a commercial success, grossing $87.6 million against a $35 million budget, having a higher price tag than her first film.

Wilde will also direct the Christmas comedy Naughty, with Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap set to produce, and Jimmy Warden writing the script. The comedy is described as “Bridesmaids in the North Pole.” She is also directing a superhero movie, Avengelyne, based on Deadpool’s co-creator Rob Liefeld’s comic of the same name, with Tony McNamara writing the script. The project is also produced alongside Robbie, who was in talks to star as the titular character.

The Invite doesn’t have a release date.

Source: Variety

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