Selena Gomez is working on a Working Girl remake
Diary Of A Future President creator Ilana Peña will pen the adaptation of the Melanie Griffith-starring classic
Are we witnessing the birth of the next rom-com queen? According to a Deadline report, the multi-hyphenate is developing a Working Girl remake for 20th Century Fox with Diary Of A Future President creator Ilana Peña adapting the script.
The beloved original Working Girl stars Melanie Griffith as Tess, a working-class secretary with business ambitions. When her boss (Sigourney Weaver) breaks her leg, Tess uses her absence to impersonate her. She then strikes up a partnership–and later, romance–with Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford), which is threatened by her ruse. The Mike Nichols-directed film was a huge hit and racked up six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, Best Actress, and two Best Supporting Actress nods (for Weaver and Joan Cusack).
It’s a big legacy to live up to, but Gomez is on a hot streak at the moment. She’s earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mabel Mora on Only Murders In The Building, and though she was passed over (some might argue snubbed) for an Emmy nomination this year, she did become only the third Latina to be nominated as a producer in Emmys history for her involvement in the show, per Variety.
Only Murders marked a shift for Gomez, whose acting career took a backseat to pop stardom in the post-Disney Channel years. While she has a number of significant credits, including the Hotel Transylvania series, she hasn’t had a (live action) film role since appearing in A Rainy Day In New York and The Dead Don’t Die in 2019.
Headlining a major reboot like Working Girl would be a big step forward for Gomez. However, it should be noted that, per Deadline, she’s only on board to produce at the moment. She’s developing a solid portfolio in that category as well; beyond Only Murders and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, she was also an executive producer on 2020's The Broken Hearts Gallery. Perhaps she’s becoming rom-com’s behind-the-scenes queen.
According to Deadline, “20th Century sees this as a timely property and views Gomez as the perfect partner on the project,” which is expected to land at Hulu (home of Only Murders). The original is very much a relic of the ’80s, but there are lots of possibilities to modernize the story, particularly if Gomez and Peña explore the perspective of Latina women in the workforce.