Kristen Stewart has come a long way since coming in the middle of a war between sparkly vampires and werewolves in the Twilight franchise. The actress has since become an indie darling, starring in under-the-radar films such as Camp X-Ray, Clouds of Sils Maria, Equals, Personal Shopper and Lizzie. Stewart could be soon making her way back into the mainstream with her upcoming starring roles in the Charlie’s Angels reboot and upcoming queer rom-com Happiest Season.
TriStar’s Happiest Season will star both Kristen Stewart and Blade Runner 2049’s Mackenzie Davis as leads, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie set during the holidays is about a woman who plans to propose to her girlfriend at her family’s holiday party, until she learns her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
The upcoming rom-com will be directed by Clea DuVall, who is best known as a supporting actress in Girl, Interrupted, The Grudge and Argo. DuVall previously directed the 2016 indie The Intervention, but Happiest Season will mark her studio directorial debut. DuVall co-wrote the script with comedy actress Mary Holland.
Mackenzie Davis had her breakout role in AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire before nabbing roles in The Martian, Tully and the upcoming Terminator reboot, which also stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Davis also starred in the Emmy-winning Black Mirror episode “San Junipero,” a now iconic lesbian love story between her and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters.
The producers of 2018’s Love, Simon, Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner, are also on board for Happiest Season. Love, Simon was the first major studio film about a gay teen coming out. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, and made $66 million at the box office worldwide on a $17 million budget.
Since more inclusive LGBT stories are on the uptick in Hollywood, Happiest Season could be a success, especially with Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as leads and a queer female director helming the project. Also, the rom-com genre had a boost last year with the smash success of Crazy Rich Asians over summer.
The report didn’t detail when Happiest Season would start shooting or its expected release date, but considering it takes place during the holidays, it might opt for a release to coincide with the events of the film. However, considering the holidays are prime time for big releases, who knows, Happiest Season may decide to brave the box office during another time of the year.
Until more details are released, you can expect to catch Kristen Stewart in the new Charlie’s Angels alongside Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska to complete her trio, and MacKenzie Davis in the next Terminator film, with both expected to come out on the same day: November 1.
