What Is Melissa McCarthy’s Next Movie?

Melissa McCarthy just played the lead role in Netflix’s superhero comedy Thunder Force; here’s where fans can see her in a movie next. The value of entertainment is always subjective, and nowhere is that more true than in comedy. One person can find someone absolutely hilarious, while another finds the humor unappealing. That’s the case for many comedy stars, and certainly is for McCarthy as well. Despite her sometimes vocal detractors though, her list of successes speaks for itself, including two Oscar and Emmy nominations.

McCarthy first gained widespread fame as the female lead on the long-running CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, alongside Billy Gardell. During Mike & Molly‘s run, McCarthy became the breakout star of Paul Feig’s 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, and saw further success teaming with Feig on The Heat and Spy. Although their collaboration on Ghostbusters 2016 didn’t prove to be a hit, it hasn’t hurt McCarthy’s career, as she has roles coming up in both Thor: Love and Thunder and The Little Mermaid remake.

It’s unclear at this point how well Thunder Force, which teams up McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, is performing for Netflix, but it wouldn’t be surprising to find out it’s doing well. Before McCarthy cameos as Hela or travels under the sea though, she has another movie on the way to Netflix.

Melissa McCarthy’s Next Movie Is The Starling

If Thunder Force does well, Netflix will no doubt be quite glad to learn that they took the preemptive step of staying in the Melissa McCarthy business. McCarthy next headlines the cast of The Starling, a dramedy featuring lots of notable actors. Directed by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), McCarthy plays Lilly Maynard, one half of a couple that experiences a tragic loss (one assumes a child, but the official synopsis isn’t clear on that). This loss leads to a rocky patch for the couple, with Lilly’s husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) taking off to grieve alone.

Overcome with sadness and guilt, Lilly becomes distracted by a quest to kill an annoying and aggressive starling that has taken up residence in her backyard. During this quest, Lilly makes a new friend (Kevin Kline), who might just help her deal with her problems. Timothy Olyphant, Daveed Diggs, Elizabeth Rohm, and Loretta Devine also star. Netflix acquired the rights to The Starling in spring 2020, and the streaming giant plans to release the film in 2021, although an exact date hasn’t been nailed down yet. While the plot does sound quirky, it also seems like it’ll be a departure from McCarthy’s recent broad comedies directed by her husband Ben Falcone. She earned raves for her dramatic work in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, so perhaps that’s a sign she’ll excel in The Starling as well.

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