In what can only be described as great news, multiple award-winning writer and producer Kay Cannon is finally set to make her feature film directorial debut, with the upcoming comedy movie, The Pact. The producers of the film – including Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – will almost certainly be hoping to cash in on Cannon’s impressive comedic skill-set, which helped the TV series 30 Rock achieve dizzying heights of success, and the Pitch Perfect film franchise earn more than $400 million in box office so far.
The Pact is written by Brian Kehoe and Jim Kehoe (Overachievers), with Deadline reporting that Eben Russell, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg also worked on the script. It is, unsurprisingly, a male-dominated story, focusing on three highly protective fathers, and their efforts to derail a pact made by their respective daughters, that would see them each lose their virginity on Prom night. While the plot sounds like a clear depiction of the very essence of patriarchy, it is the hiring of Cannon as director that makes this project very interesting.
Her work as a comedy writer demonstrates an edgy, razor-sharp humour, which will hopefully translate into her vision as director. Without a woman at the helm, The Pact would undoubtedly manifest simply as another testosterone-heavy tale about the foibles of insecure men. With Cannon onboard, however, this now has every chance of being delivered as a more balanced project that appeals to people other than men in the 18-30 demographic. The hiring of Cannon for this film, in particular, is also noteworthy because it challenges the popular, current, but incorrect notion that women directors are best suited to female-led projects.
Kay Cannon comes to directing having honed her skills for years – with steady promotion through the ranks – as a writer, story editor, executive story editor, co-producer, co-executive producer, and supervising producer on shows such as New Girl, 30 Rock and Cristela, in addition to the films Baby Mama, Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2. She has Writers Guild Awards, a Peabody Award, and a slew of Emmy nominations, and will no doubt deliver another home-run in the form of The Pact.
