Ever since the Tim Allen-fronted sitcom Last Man Standing got unceremoniously cancelled at ABC, co-star Kaitlyn Dever has been building up her resume solid performances in acclaimed projects both theatrically and on TV. The actress has made sporadic returns to Last Man Standing during its past two seasons on Fox, with fans currently hoping that she'll be able to carve out enough time for a full return in the recently renewed Season 9. A new announcement seemingly dashes those hopes, however, with Dever set to star in a wild new project from Margot Robbie.
One of Kaitlyn Dever's next TV projects after Last Man Standing (and Netflix's Unbelievable) is being spearheaded by the filmmakers behind last year's indie cinema fave The Peanut Butter Falcon, writer-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz. Titled The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park, the concept is for a live-action, half-hour comedy that is based on their own experiences of clandestinely living within a Los Angeles park whenever they were developing the project that turned into Peanut Butter Falcon.
With Margot Robbie onboard as an executive producer, The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park would gender-swap the lead characters, with Kaitlyn Dever and The Act's Joey King set to play Diane and Jackie, respectively. The two women make the choice to move into a park in order to find the wildness that resides within themselves, with both also seeking to identify their purposes in life. Beyond that, the main plot would revolve around how Diane and Jackie's lives become intertwined with a couple named Andy and Blair, who seemingly have not been cast just yet.
Beyond having an extremely talented pair of actresses in Last Man Standing's Kaitlyn Dever and Joey King (who earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work on Hulu's The Act), The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park reportedly made recent waves with network and streaming execs thanks to a cleverly crafted pitch video, according to THR. The project's pre-production phase was stalled by nationwide quarantines, which inspired Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz to craft a most unique way to get their point across.
The pitch video, which has not been made public, was put together in a makeshift studio the filmmakers set up inside their home. One part of it featured Kaitlyn Dever, Margot Robbie and Joey King (via laptop displays) energetically explaining ideas for the show to an audience of happily engaged cardboard cutouts of network and streaming execs such as Netflix's Ted Sarandos. Another part of it showcased a series of popular films' posters as Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz wove comparisons to those movies into their pitch, such as Alice in Wonderland, Fight Club and The Never-Ending Story, to name a few.
As well, the pitch video uses celeb photos to cheekily suggest what other big Hollywood stars could potentially join the cast, such as Brad Pitt, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson for the Andy role, with Reese Witherspoon and Blake Lively set up as possible examples for Blair. In fact, Stiller actually made a FaceTime appearance in the video, at first denying interest in the project before implying he might want to be involved. That bit, however, was reportedly just for the joke (as was Shia LeBouef's hypothetical involvement), with Stiller not actively taking part in The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park at this time.
At this point, it's reported that several premium cable networks and streaming services are interested in potentially moving forward with The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park. The filmmaking duo will likely be fielding offers from multiple parties, which could possibly then lead to some of those marquee actors signing on.
While this new role could potentially limit Kaitlyn Dever's future on Last Man Standing, that wasn't the case with the most recent TV role she landed before this one. Dever previously signed on for Hulu's upcoming horror anthology series Monsterland, but that will only be for a single episode. For now, the actress' fans will likely have to wait until more news about Last Man Standing's production process comes out in order to find out more about Dever's future as Eve Baxter. I wouldn't get too optimistic about her joining HBO's The Last of Us series, either, unless scheduling works out for the greater good.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news about The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park, and check out our 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what shows are definitely coming to the small screen soon.
