Tate Taylor and Melissa McCarthy are enjoying incredibly productive years – he for his work directing The Help and she for her scene-stealing turn in Bridesmaids, as well as her Emmy-winning work on the television sitcom Mike & Molly. The idea of the two of them reuniting on a road-trip comedy for New Line -- Taylor directed McCarthy in the 2008 comedy Pretty Ugly People -- had several people in the industry excited. But alas, it’s not to be.
Variety confirms that Taylor has decided not to direct Tammy, a comedy based on a concept McCarthy hatched as a potential starring vehicle. The comedian will play a woman who, after losing her job at a fast food restaurant, learns her husband is cheating. Caught in a spiral of anger and depression, she embarks on a road trip with her foul-mouthed grandmother. Get me Betty White and Cloris Leachman on the phone, stat!
Consider this a bump in the road for a comedy that’s bound to get made eventually. McCarthy has far too much clout right now to let this bit of news derail her project, and now we’ll just wait to see who she and co-writer Ben Falcone next approach.
The same goes for Taylor, who might be wise to play the waiting game before selecting his next project. Depending on whom you trust, Taylor’s The Help could be a major player in this year’s still-developing Oscar race. And a select few Oscar trackers are saying the film’s pull could drag Taylor into the Best Director race as a result. If that’s the case, he suddenly could have his pick of a series of prestige projects, so there’s no need to jump on a film just yet.
