Home Movies

First Look At Melissa McCarthy As Michelle Darnell

Currently stacking up rave reviews for her turn in Paul Feig's upcoming espionage comedy Spy, Melissa McCarthy is charging ahead with her next chucklesome outing. Reuniting with husband Ben Falcone, with whom she collaborated on Tammy, the actress is now hard at work lensing next summer's Michelle Darnell. With the shoot well underway, the first image from the set has now appeared online via EW.

Michelle Darnell

Recommended Videos

Currently stacking up rave reviews for her turn in Paul Feig’s upcoming espionage comedy Spy, Melissa McCarthy is charging ahead with her next chucklesome outing. Reuniting with husband Ben Falcone, with whom she collaborated on Tammy, the actress is now hard at work lensing next summer’s Michelle Darnell. With the shoot well underway, the first image from the set has now appeared online via EW.

The movie’s titular character is based on a sketch McCarthy cooked up during her stint with the Groundlings. Together with Falcone, she wrote a full-length script that revolves around a woman (McCarthy’s Darnell) whose insider trading antics get her locked up in prison.

Upon release she vies to climb back to the top of the corporate ladder by enlisting her former assistant (Kristen Bell) to help usher in another shady scheme. Their grand plan? Roping in “a misfit Daisy troop to hawk homemade brownies.” As get-rich-quick ideas go, it’s not the brightest or wisest, which is no doubt where the inevitable slapstick hankerings will be elbowed in.

Here’s what McCarthy told EW about the misguided vision of her character and the influential youngsters she rallies together:

“Michelle clawed for everything she had, and she did not do it in the most karmic way… this is not a sweet, shiny group of girls. They’re kind of like young thugs.”

Whether you’re a fan of McCarthy and Falcone’s last joint effort Tammy or not, the roster of supporting actors – Game Of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage, Veep‘s Timothy Simons and Hollywood veteran Kathy Bates – lend the movie a giant helping of prestige. We’ll find out how it all pans out for Michelle Darnell when the film arrives in theaters on April 8, 2016.