EXCLUSIVE: Following a competitive situation, 20th Century Studios has acquired the rights to an untitled Sister comedy from Gloria Sanchez with Awkwafina and Sandra Oh starring. Jessica Yu is directing with Jen D’Angelo, who recently penned Hocus Pocus 2, writing the script. Gloria Sanchez founders Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum will produce along with Itay Reiss and Maggie Haskins from Artists First. Gloria Sanchez’s Alex Brown will exec produce.
The news behind the project broke last year with Netflix landing the rights but sources say the streamer recently let project move back to the market with several suitors quickly making bids. 20th was aggressive early on and were able to land rights and are now prioritizing the project in development.
The story follows a brilliant but tightly wound, Jeopardy-obsessed young woman (Awkwafina) must reunite with her estranged, train-wreck of a sister (Oh) when they’re forced to come up with the money to cover their mother’s gambling debts. The two embark on a wild, cross country trek in a desperate hope to win enough cash the only way they can think of—by turning our reluctant hero into a bona-fide JEOPARDY champion.
Sarah Shepard is overseeing for 20th Century Studios.
Oh is currently in production on the fourth season of the Emmy-winning series Killing Eve. She was also recently seen starring in the Netflix dramedy series The Chair and was voiced a character in the hit Amazon series Invincible.
Awkwafina most recently was seen in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which made $431 million at the global box office. She next will be seen opposite Mahershala Ali in Apple’s Swan Song, as well as Renfield at Universal. Her Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens premiered its second season over the summer.
Yu has cut her teeth in the TV world as a key director on Fosse/Verdon and The Morning Show. Besides Hocus Pocus 2, D’Angelo also recently sold the feature, Stranded Asset, to Universal that she is co-writing with Sam Richardson and Chris Pratt is producing.
Oh is repped by UTA, Principal Entertainment LA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman and Awkwafina is repped by UTA and Artists First. Yu is repped by Paradigm and Anonymous Content.