The woman of the hour finally made it to the streaming service

When the Woman of the Hour most needed a savior, Anna Kendrick was the answer.

Now available on Netflix, the true-crime thriller is Kendrick’s first feature film as director. The film is based on the life of Daniel Zovatto’s character, Rodney Alcala, a real-life serial killer who is known as the “Dating Game Killer” because of his appearance with bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw on a 1978 episode of The Dating Game. (The film’s main female character, portrayed by Kendrick, is named “Sheryl.”. ().

Screenwriter Ian McDonald talks to The Hollywood Reporter about his reasons for changing the game show’s dialogue, his unsuccessful attempts to engage the audience, and his hope that the streaming film will be “received as art, not content.”. “”.

In what way did you know this story would make a good movie?

It all began when I came upon an article on one of those lists of odd true crime stories on the internet.

Do you enjoy watching true crime?

Sort of no, kind of yes. My favorite stories about serial killers are usually made up. It was more everything around Rodney Acala than he himself that piqued my interest. Everyone [who knew him and was aware of his crimes] said, “Yeah, that makes sense,” as I continued my research. He will be compared to Ted Bundy, but Rodney Alcala didn’t even pretend to be this nice, all-American guy; Ted Bundy was adept at it. The thing that most intrigues me about him is how he gets away with misbehaving for such a long time because those around him ignore him. That can be the police, The Dating Game, or the legal system as a whole.

In 2017, the Black List included your script. What ultimately led to Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut?

The procedure took a very long time. It’s been nearly eight years since I began the first outline in 2016. When it was with a single production company, it nearly died four times before that company collapsed. I’m thinking, “My own death occurred precisely when this podcast about Rodney Alcala was released,” and the podcast company had a first look agreement with a television company. The matter is resolved. Additionally, it’s terrible and heartbreaking. Sincerely, things had been going very slowly until Anna took over as director, but all of a sudden, things accelerated to the point where we had a budget and a financier, and we would be shooting in six weeks. The movie was saved by Anna.

How did you like working with her?

It went better than expected. She simply had really insightful, perceptive notes, and she saw the film exactly as I did. Crucially, though, her suggestions improved the script rather than diminished it from what I intended. She brought a new perspective and was able to see things that I had lost sight of over the years. a fantastic team player.

Did you have aspirations of meeting the real Cheryl?

I attempted to get in touch with Cheryl. To a certain extent, I took the fact that I couldn’t find her as a decision. She has never been featured in anything like the [programs] that have been made about Rodney Alcala, like the 2019 episode of 20/20, which featured former victims. It seemed to me that she didn’t want her life to be defined by this one-time run-in with a psychopath. I changed the name and several important aspects of the background and biography in part because of this. It more closely resembles Cheryl from an alternate reality. This is what could have happened if Cheryl had appeared on this game show.

Does Daniel’s portrayal of Rodney match your expectations?

He was simply flawless. The difficult part was that since it would be obvious that Rodney is a serial killer, you couldn’t just use that dialogue from the original Dating Game in a modern film. From 1978 to 2024, dating conventions and etiquette have evolved, as has the definition of what constitutes an offensive or offensive joke. People will say things like, “Well, Cheryl’s an idiot,” if you simply take that as it is. Daniel’s main contribution was to ensure that modern audiences could relate to the women’s emotions, and he does great at it.

Why would Rodney go on this crime spree and do something so publicly visible?

He doesn’t believe he will be caught, which is similar to many sociopaths. I assume that he believed it would be enjoyable. Perhaps there was even a hint of showboating involved.

Are there any significant lessons from the movie that apply to modern society?

Although Rodney only exemplifies one extreme of toxic male behavior, his actions still feel very masculine to me. In the middle is the game show host, while the boyfriend at the other extreme is saying, “Don’t you think they would’ve vetted him?”. Thus, thoroughly researching all of that and how ignoring a problem in front of you contributes to it is important. When they see the spectrum, many people will be able to say, “I can see myself in some part of this, and we have a collective responsibility to do better.”. “.”.

What are your future plans as a writer, and are you receiving offers for projects like this one?

At the moment, I’m working on five or six projects, and I’m enthusiastic about each one. I’m particularly excited about the fact that they’re all very different, and I’m making a concerted effort to be mindful and careful about not being “the serial killer guy,” primarily because that would be a very depressing way to live. In fact, the years-long research required to write this was extremely taxing because you are constantly reading about horrible, traumatic, and terrible things, and there is no other option because you must interact with the material in order to tell the story accurately. I’m pleased with the film, and I hope to write something similar in the future. I just want to confirm that it’s not my sole activity.

What do you hope the movie will accomplish?

I am aware of how popular true crime is right now. I hope it endures beyond the current era. In ten or twenty years, I hope it will be a movie that we discuss. I also hope it’s viewed as art rather than content, but I have no control over that. Both Anna and I gave the story we were telling a great deal of consideration and work. My biggest worry has always been that people will think, “Oh, it’s another serial killer, true crime movie of the week.” I just hope that’s how it’s received. “”.