Gabrielle Union is heading back into the world of romantic comedies by producing and starring in The Perfect Find with a screenplay written by Leigh Davenport. Shooting will begin next year.
It is based on the book of the same name by Tia S. Williams.
According to Variety, Union, Jeff Morrone and Black Love creators Tommy Oliver and Codie Elaine Oliver will produce via Union’s I’ll Have Another production company. I’ll Have Another’s Holly Shakoor Fleischer will also co-produce. Coming to the production team are AGC Studios, who will also produce and finance the project, with AGC’s Stuart Ford, Glendon Palmer and Greg Shapiro as executive producers.
The Olivers talked about the series recently when they stopped by and spoke with us at Shadow and Act:
In the film, Union’s character wants to become a big name in beauty journalism, but the only open job is one where her boss is her frenemy, Darcy. As an older woman, she has to learn how to hang with her younger, social media obsessed co-workers and keep Darcy off her back. But it gets tougher to do that once she falls in love with Darcy’s son, who also happens to be the new videographer.
Union is no stranger to the romantic comedy, having starred in Deliver Us from Eva and the Think Like a Man franchise. She has also brought the romance to the small screen, most notably in her recent BET drama Being Mary Jane, but also opposite John Cho in ABC’s short-lived sci-fi drama Flash Forward. Union has become an outspoken agent of change, speaking openly about sexual abuse and political issues.
It’s going to be interesting to see how well The Perfect Find will do once it comes to theaters, seeing how romantic comedies have become the surprising battleground for racial and body diversity. For instance, 2017 saw both Girls Trip, featuring an ensemble cast of Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Regina Hall, and the Scarlett Johansson-led Rough Night. Even though Rough Night attempted to utilize Johansson’s star power in marketing, the combined star power of the ladies in Girls Trip, plus the breakout success of Haddish, pushed the film over the top, making it the top comedy of the year.
Most recently, when promoting her upcoming rom-com Isn’t It Romantic, Rebel Wilson stoked the fires of Black and brown audiences by alleging that she is the first plus-sized actress to feature in a romantic comedy, negating the work of Queen Latifah, Mo’Nique, Jill Scott and other plus-sized actresses of color who have also starred in romantic films. She has recently released an apology for her statements, as well as for blocking women of color who sought to educate her on her mistake. Her film comes to theaters Valentine’s Day 2019, but the fate of her film’s box office returns now hang in the balance thanks to her angering a large demographic of the moviegoing audience.
