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Horrible Bosses 2 Helmer Sean Anders To Battle Mean Moms With Jennifer Aniston

New Line scored a box office hit last fall with Horrible Bosses 2, so it makes a lot of sense that the studio would want to reteam the creative players behind that sequel on additional projects. Excitingly, the stars appear to be aligning already for one such reunion - director Sean Anders has been set to helm female-driven comedy Mean Moms, with Jennifer Aniston circling the lead role.

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New Line scored a box office hit last fall with Horrible Bosses 2, so it makes a lot of sense that the studio would want to reteam the creative players behind that sequel on additional projects. Excitingly, the stars appear to be aligning already for one such reunion – director Sean Anders has been set to helm female-driven comedy Mean Moms, with Jennifer Aniston circling the lead role.

The A-lister has been eyeing the project, described as Mean Girls with an adult cast, since last February, but she’ll need to make a decision soon, given that New Line is revving up for a summer shoot. Aniston, who just lost out on an Oscar nomination for her transformative performance in dark drama Cake, reportedly has her pick of projects this summer, so it’s unclear whether Mean Moms is high on her list. At press time, no deal had been signed.

Regardless, with Anders secured behind the camera after having penned the script with his professional partner John Morris (the pair previously collaborated on hits We’re the MillersHot Tub Time Machine and Horrible Bosses 2), there’s a lot to be excited about with this project. The story centers on a mother of two who moves with her family from small-town America to cutthroat suburbia, only to find herself challenged by the comically over-the-top world of competitive parenting on display in their new neighborhood. It’s unclear whether Aniston is being eyed for the lead role or the part of a suburban-nightmare antagonist.

ABC’s late, lamented sitcom Suburgatory mined a similar premise for maximum laughs, and everything from Orange is the New Black to Fresh Off the Boat has explored how ridiculous the wealthy suburbs can be, so if Mean Moms can explore that same nutty subculture (preferably with an R-rating, though that may be tough if New Line is selling this as a Mean Girls successor), it will be well-worth the price of admission.

Like Mean Girls, the pic is based on a novel by Rosalind Wiseman. Whereas the Lindsay Lohan comedy classic used Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World as source material, Mean Moms will take inspiration from Wiseman’s Queen Bee Moms And King Pin Dads: Dealing With The Parents, Teachers, Coaches, And Counselors Who Can Make — or Break — Your Child’s Future.