Press Release
BETTE MIDLER, SHARON STONE TEAM UP FOR ANDY FICKMAN’S “THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE”
Edward Douglas | East Coast Editor
FEBRUARY 12, 2018
Bette Midler and Sharon Stone will co-star in the film version of Charles Busch’s award-winning Broadway play THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE with Andy Fickman (Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2) directing.
The original odd couple play opened at the Manhattan Theater Club before moving to Broadway where it was nominated for Best Play at the Tonys and Outstanding New Play from the Drama Desk.
Robert Cort will produce the film with original Broadway producer Daryl Roth, while Jeffrey Melnick is an executive producer.
IMR is bringing the project to the European Film Market in Brooklyn to find buyers with CAA repping U.S. and Canada.
Represented by CAA, David Steinberg Entertainment and Larry Shire, Midler previously worked with Fickman on his 2012 comedy Parental Guidance, which grossed $77.3 million from a Christmas release. More recently, Midler has been the star of the Tony-winning Broadway hit Hello, Dolly! playing Dolly Gallagher Levi, and she’ll play Marjorie Taub in the film version of Allergist’s Wife..
Marjorie is an Upper West Side resident in the middle of a crisi when her childhood friend Lee (Stone) shows up , having the glamorous life Marjorie has always wanted Lee becomes the Taubs’ houseguest. them not realizing she has a secret agenda.
Midler is just one Oscar win away from becoming a member of the EGOT club in that she’s already won Emmy, Tony and Grammy awards but hasn’t converted her two Oscar nominations into wins.
Stone, repped by CAA and Mosaic, is close behind with single Emmy and Golden Globe wins (for The Practice and Casino) but only one Oscar nomination and three Golden Raspberries (or Razzies) to her credit. She recently played a small role in James Franco’s The Disaster Artist.
Fickman is repped by WME and Management 360, and he’s been spending much of his recent time as exec. producer on the hit CBS comedy Kevin Can Wait.
sounds like a great role for Bette! BUT WHY with Fickman at the helm??? He is a fastfood-movie maker and critics and audiences avoid his “movies” for all the right reasons… ;-((
one can only hope for a replacement: Sharon Stone has been quite good at picking directors (Scorsese, Sonderbergh, Bary Levinson): I doubt she will work for the guy who gave us “Mall Cop 2” and “Scouts vs Zombies” which reach a score of 16 percent on rottentomatoes.com (COMBINED!).
I have no idea. Maybe he’ll prove us wrong