Rebel Wilson to Direct Musical Movie ‘The Deb’

The actor and comedian has decided to adapt the Australian stage musical for the screen after searching for the right project to step behind the camera.

Rebel Wilson attends the Netflix 'Senior Year' Special Screening and Reception at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on May 10, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix.

Through her film career, Australian actor Rebel Wilson has dipped into the musical genre more than once, especially with the three ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies, where she’s played Fat Amy to plenty of plaudits.

So, for her first attempt at directing a movie, it’s perhaps not a shock that she’d pick an adaptation of a stage musical.

And that’s just what she has done, making a deal to direct, co-produce and appear (at least for a small role) in ‘The Deb’, which was a success on stage in Australia. Wilson was at the launch party on a yacht in Cannes this week, where backers Unigram were announcing the movie –– and the director –– to the world.

Rebel Wilson as Stephanie Conway in Netflix's 'Senior Year.'

What’s the story of ‘The Deb’?

Originally premiering at Sydney’s Australian Theatre for Young People in 2022, ‘The Deb’ theater production was written by Hannah Reilly and includes original songs from singer-songwriter Meg Washington.

The musical follows lovable farm girl and high school outcast Taylah Simpkins (Natalie Abbott), who is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, nicknamed “the Deb,” is her one chance to redefine herself.

When her cynical city cousin Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town Dunburn, she thinks the ball is a “heteronormative shit-show” and immediately disrupts the status quo. In their search for the spotlight, Taylah and Maeve dig deep to find self-acceptance — and a date to the Deb.

Here’s what Wilson said about her reasons for directing a musical:

“Because I’ve been on set and have done so many musicals, you kind of pick up things like how to shoot a musical number and how to do the soundtrack, because you’re there and you’re part of it. I’ve always just been watching as the actress — watching, watching, watching — and then I produced a lot of things with musical numbers in them, like ‘Senior Year’ on Netflix, which had a lot of cheerleading routines. Everyone kept saying, ‘You should direct!’ I just started getting offered movies to direct from studios, so then I was like, ‘Oh my God, if I have to take a year out of my life and not be an actress and be a director, it has to be something that I am massively passionate about.”

Who will star in ‘The Deb’?

The movie is set to star a clutch of rising Australian stars including MacInnes and Abbott (reprising their roles) and Stevie Jean. Other actors in the film include Tara Morice, Jay Laga’aia, Shane Jacobson and Wilson.

Wilson compared the film to big cultural touchstones of Australian cinema including ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ and ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’.

The actor said,

“I really like seeing my culture on screen. Those films are very seminal to me, and I really wanted to create a movie that was like the modern version of those. Those movies have such charm, they’re so colorful, and they’re very funny. And they have real heart to them.”

‘The Deb’ doesn’t yet have a release date, but the cameras are set to roll in September.