New Girl star Damon Wayan Jr. is in talks for a role in New Line’s star-studded romantic comedy How to Be Single.
Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror), Alison Brie (Yahoo’s Community), Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect), Dan Stevens (Disney’s upcoming Beauty and the Beast) and Leslie Mann (This is 40) are all already attached to the ensemble pic, which will be directed by Collins’ Love, Rosie helmer Christian Ditter.
The script, based on Liz Tuccillo’s novel of the same name, has gone through multiple iterations, with Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein penning the original, and Dana Fox having been brought in to work on the current draft.
Like He’s Just Not That Into You, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day before it, How to Be Single includes multiple, intersecting storylines and explores singlehood from both male and female perspectives. Though blind dating, weighing the possibility of marriage, hookups and commitment phobia are all topics explored by its characters, How to Be Single reinforces that it’s the time in between relationships that most defines us.
Wayans is continuing his rise to Hollywood stardom after first breaking out on the small screen. He got his start on ABC’s beloved but low-rated comedy Happy Endings, which may or may not be coming back from the dead in April, and also starred on the third and fourth seasons of Fox’s New Girl after Happy Endings‘ cancellation (Wayans had appeared in the New Girl pilot before Happy Endings was renewed for its second season).
However, Wayans recently announced he would not be returning for the next season of New Girl, apparently because he hoped to continue landing bigger and bigger roles in feature films. Last summer, the actor toplined Let’s Be Cops alongside New Girl castmate Jake Johnson, and he also voiced Wasabi in Disney’s Oscar-winning Big Hero 6.
If How to Be Single is a hit, the film could elevate Wayans to the next level of name recognition. New Line is certainly banking on its wide-reaching appeal, having slotted it for February 12th, 2016, before Valentine’s Day weekend. Shooting kicks off next month.
