The first trailer for Late Night debuted on Thursday.
The comedy, which was written by and stars Mindy Kaling, follows a Letterman-esque talk show host (Emma Thompson) whose world is turned upside down when she hires her first female staff writer (Kaling) in an attempt to address diversity concerns.
John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Paul Walter Hauser and Amy Ryan round out the cast. Nisha Ganatra directed the film, which is produced by Kaling, Howard Klein, Jillian Apfelbaum and Ben Browning.
The trailer opens with new Late Night writer Molly approaching the building where the show is filmed. “I’ve spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams,” she recites before a garbage bag is unintentionally chucked at her head.
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The show’s host Katherine Newbury is then seen firing a number of the writers before Molly shows up for her first meeting. When no chairs are available for her, she empties a trash bin and uses it as a seat.
Katherine is soon informed that the current season she is filming will be the last. In an attempt to save her job, she forces the show’s writers to work especially hard to enhance her likability.
It is made clear that many of Molly’s white male co-workers think she was hired only because she is a woman of color. “I know what everyone thinks of me, but just because I was lucky enough to get this job doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to lose it,” she later says.
Throughout the trailer, Molly does her best to make Katherine less “old” and “white” in order to help save the show.
“I need you, Molly. I need your pushiness and lack of boundaries,” Katherine tells her at the conclusion of the trailer. When Molly interprets the sentiment as Katherine’s declaration of love, the host clarifies, “No, I didn’t say that.”
Amazon acquired the U.S. rights for Late Night, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Jan., for $13 million. The deal surpassed the previous high-water mark for domestic rights to a film at the festival, which was also struck by Amazon in 2017 for The Big Sick for $12.5 million.
Late Night will be released nationwide on June 7. Watch the full trailer above.
