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Black Bear has acquired the rights to a comedy spec script from up-and-coming writing duo Cassidy Alla and Read Masino, Variety can reveal exclusively
According to an official logline, the untitled film “tells the story
of when a mother and daughter inadvertently start dating the same man; the whole family – each at their own crossroad in life and love – must deal with the chaotic fallout.”
Alla and Masino, both working toward their feature breakouts, have a movie in development at Netflix with Berlanti/Schechter producing and Nahnatchka Khan (“Totally Killer”) directing. The duo met while working as assistants at Apatow Productions. Masino worked as a writers’ assistant on Amazon’s “Spider-Noir” and Apple’s “Brothers” and “The Muppet Show,” while Alla worked for showrunner Justin Noble, co-creator of “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
“This script is one of the funniest and most poignant scripts we have seen in years about romance, family and the dysfunction so often associated with both,” said Michael Heimler, Partner, President of Production & Operations at Black Bear. “Cassidy and Read are two of the most exciting voices we’ve read in some time, and we can’t wait to bring this story to life.”
Alla and Masino added in a joint statement, “We had so much fun writing this chaotic comedy about a family (not to be confused with a family comedy) and couldn’t ask for a better partner on this project than Black Bear.”
Black Bear, which launched its distribution arm in 2025, is the studio behind recent films like “Train Dreams,” “Sing Sing” and “The Imitation Game.” The upcoming Black Bear slate includes “Honeymoon / Funeral,” starring Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee and Carrie Coon; “Wicker,” starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Dinklage; and Guy Ritchie’s “Wife and Dog” with Benedict Cumberbatch and Rosamund Pike.
Alla is represented by UTA and Mosaic. Masino is represented by UTA and Artists First.
