When CBS cancelled Fam after one season, it opened up Nina Dobrev's schedule. She isn't filling that time by bringing The Vampire Diaries' Elena Gilbert Salvatore to the new spinoff Legacies -- at least, not yet -- but she did just announce a new project.
Nina Dobrev will star in the new indie comedy Sick Girl. Not only that, she's also an executive producer on the film, which will mark the feature writing and directing debut of Jennifer Cram.
Sick Girl follows Wren Pepper (Nina Dobrev), who feels that she and her lifelong friends have grown apart. A simple white lie from Wren begins to tear that community apart, taking them all on an unexpected ride.
Sick Girl will co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey, Brandon Mychal Smith, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Koenig, Hayley Magnus, Dan Bakkedahl, and Ray McKinnon.
Nina Dobrev shared a photo with her fellow Sick Girl stars to mark the start of filming:
It's very cool to see Nina Dobrev with a producer credit next to her name, in addition to being the lead actor. Dobrev was already known for playing Mia Jones on Degrassi: The Next Generation before landing the main role of Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries. She was the lead character for six seasons before leaving the show, then returning for the series finale.
The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017, and Nina Dobrev went on to star in films like XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Crash Pad, Flatliners, Dog Days, and Then Came You. She co-starred in Run This Town, about the final year of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's tenure, which premiered at South by Southwest in March 2019. In addition to Sick Girl, she has the film Lucky Day coming out at some point.
Nina Dobrev made her return to TV earlier in 2019 as the lead character of Clem on Fam. It was her first time in a sitcom, filmed in front of a live audience. Although she said it gave her anxiety at first, she got used to it and came to love it. Unfortunately, ratings weren't where CBS wanted them to be and the show was cancelled after one season.
The silver lining of that is that instead of preparing for Fam Season 2 right now, Nina Dobrev can make films like Sick Girl. Of course, it also gives me a slight sliver of hope that Dobrev might be willing to at least cameo as Elena on Legacies.
It has already been established that Dr. Elena Salvatore has a family practice in Mystic Falls during the Legacies timeline, and it was even mentioned in Legacies Season 1 that Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena had a daughter named Stefanie, in honor of Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Fans are hoping to hear more about Stefanie, and maybe see Elena again someday.
My hopes aren't too high on that front, but at least we know Nina Dobrev has this fun indie movie in the works. Stay tuned for any further details on Sick Girl, including a release date. Legacies Season 2 premieres October 10, 2019 on The CW.
