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Previously attached to Netflix, The Dating Game is currently in production but won’t be released as a Netflix Original title. Here’s what you need to know.
The Dating Game is an upcoming crime movie directed by Anna Kendrick (making it her directorial debut) and written by Ian MacAllister McDonald. Kendrick, who will also star in the project, is known for roles in movies including Pitch Perfect, Trolls, and the Twilight Saga.
Joining Kendrick as a producer on The Dating Game are Roy Lee (IT), J.D. Lifshitz (Barbarian), Raphael Margules (The Vigil), and Miri Yoon (I Love You, Phillip Morris).
AGC Studios is the studio handling the production of The Dating Game with Vertigo Entertainment, BoulderLight Pictures, and Let’s Go Again, also attached.
The script was listed among The Black List entries back in 2017 and, in the years following, was being developed with Chloe Okuno notably attached to direct initially. At the time, the project was called Rodney & Sheryl.
Netflix was first attached to the project in May 2021 when Deadline exclusively revealed that Netflix had “acquired” the package built around the script.
Sometime in 2022, the project became independent and no longer attached to Netflix, with production beginning towards the tail end of the year and scheduled to wrap in March 2023.
It’s unclear where the movie will release instead.
Please note: the below was published before it was known the title was no longer attached to Netflix, but we’ve kept the preview intact in case you’re interested.
What is the plot of The Dating Game?
The synopsis for the movie has been sourced from IMDb:
Rodney Alcala was a killer in the midst of a killing spree when he brazenly took part and won a date on the popular TV game show “The Dating Game”.
Who was Rodney Alcala?
An infamous American serial killer, Rodney Alcala, was active between 1968-1979 but was apprehended by the authorities in the July of 79′ after a two-year murder spree, which saw five people lose their lives.
The true number of Alcala’s victims is yet to be determined. He has been conclusively linked to eight murders, but the true number of victims from murder to sexual offenses could be as high as 130. Alcala had more than a thousand sexually explicit photographs of victims in his possession, some of which were later used to aid cold cases of missing persons.
More commonly known as “The Dating Game Killer,” the nickname was given to Alcala due to his appearance on the show in 1978, during the middle of his murder spree.
Alcala had been sentenced to death, but at 77, he died of “unspecified natural causes” in Corcoran, California.
Who are the cast members of The Dating Game?
Anna Kendrick has the role of Cheryl Bradshaw, a contestant in The Dating Game, who Rodney Alcala earned a date with after winning the competition.
Anna Kendrick (left) and Cheryl Bradshaw on The Dating Game in 1978 (right)
Daniel Zovatto is the only other confirmed actor, but his role hasn’t been listed. Given he is only one of two actors confirmed, we can safely assume he will be playing the role of infamous serial killer Rodney Alcala.
Daniel Zovatto (left) and Rodney Alcala on The Dating Game in 1978 (right)
Also attached to the production are:
- Nicolette Robinson
- Kathryn Gallagher
- Kelley Jakle
- Autumn Best
- Tony Hale
Do you wish this movie was headed to Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.