After appearing mostly in TV shows, most notably a lead in NBC’s Community, Gillian Jacobs is about to step up in a big way. THR reports that she will join the cast of Lorene Scafaria‘s directorial debut Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. She will join Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, William Petersen, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry and Derek Luke in the film that recently got picked up by Focus Features for domestic distribution. Check out the synopsis below.
Set in a too-near future, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. Can one man find his greatest love at the worst possible time? As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten.
Like a cute version of Lars von Trier‘s Melancholia, it is “set against the backdrop of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth.” Jacobs plays a “waitress high on Ecstasy the duo meet on their journey.” You may know Scafaria from her screenplay credit on Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. I’ve enjoyed Jacobs work on Community, but more for the comedic side, which she looks to be focusing on here.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World begins shooting in Los Angeles this week and will likely see a 2012 release.
