Melissa Rauch Headshot - P 2012
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has picked up The Bronze, a comedy starring and co-written by The Big Bang Theory actress Melissa Rauch.
Jay and Mark Duplass, the brothers behind comedies such as Jeff, Who Lives at Home and Cyrus, are exec producing the indie, the cast of which also includes Gary Cole, Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch, Captain America: The Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan, Saturday Night Live‘s Cecily Strong and Haley Lu Richardson.
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The movie is currently shooting in Ohio under the direction of Bryan Buckley, the award-winning commercial director known for his numerous Super Bowl spots.
Rauch plays a foul-mouthed former gymnastics bronze medalist named Hope Greggory who must fight for her local celebrity status when a new young athlete’s star rises in town. Rauch penned the script with her husband, Winston Rauch. (The two are also exec producing, as is Buckley.)
Stephanie Langhoff, who produced the Kristen Wiig–Bill Hader comedy The Skeleton Twins (which the Duplass brothers exec produced) is producing.
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“We fell instantly for the vulgar yet lovable Hope Greggory,” said SPWA’s senior acquisitions vp Joe Matukewicz regarding the appeal of the project.
Rauch, who as Bernadette has been a fixture on CBS’ sitcom The Big Bang Theory since 2009, has also appeared in True Blood and features such as I Love You, Man. She is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment.
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Aside from his commercials work, Buckley wrote and directed the short film Asad, which garnered an Oscar nomination for best live action short. He is attached to direct the Lionsgate comedy Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, which has Reese Witherspoon attached to star. He is repped by WME and George Heller at Apostle Entertainment.
Cole is repped by Gersh and Envoy Entertainment; Middleditch by WME and Kirsten Ames Management. Stan is repped by ICM and Brookside Artist Management; Strong by ICM; and Richardson is represented by Gersh.