New Line’s casting spree for ensemble comedy Life of the Party continues today, with The Hollywood Reporter bringing word that Modern Family star Julie Bowen has been cast as the nemesis of Melissa McCarthy’s central lead.
McCarthy, who is poised to once more collaborate with husband and writing partner Ben Falcone, will assume the role of a character named Deanna, with new recruit Matt Walsh playing her fictitious husband, Dan. Other than the fact New Line has likened its ensemble piece to Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School, little is known about the core premise of Life of the Party. Then again, with production currently underway in Atlanta, expect some tangible details to begin emerging onto the interwebs very soon indeed – including how the dynamic between McCarthy’s lead and Bowen’s quasi-antagonist will shake out.
Rounding out that preliminary casting sheet are Maya Rudolph, Community star Gillian Jacobs, Debby Ryan and Molly Gordon. Behind the scenes and much like their work across Tammy and The Boss – two pictures that earned relatively decent box office sums, but failed to impress among critical circles – Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy originally hatched the script for Life of the Party and will produce the 2018 feature in tandem with Chris Henchy of Daddy’s Home fame.
As things stand, Life of the Party has been earmarked for theatrical release on May 11, 2018. Julie Bowen can currently be seen in the role of Claire Dunphy on ABC’s Modern Family.
