Rashida Jones is stepping into the director’s chair for Playdate, a feature adaptation of Marie Østerbye’s original script, which landed at #2 on last year’s Black List. Produced by Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell under their Gloria Sanchez banner, the film is shaping up to be a mind-bending psychological thriller.
Described as a dark and gripping drama, Playdate follows two mothers whose seemingly innocent meetup escalates into full-scale psychological warfare as they confront the lasting trauma of childhood bullying. Meanwhile, their daughters engage in mind games of their own.
Jones, best known for her work in front of and behind the camera, is no stranger to storytelling. She co-directed the Emmy-nominated documentary Quincy, chronicling the life of her legendary father, Quincy Jones, and has directed episodes of Roar, #BlackAF, and Angie Tribeca—the latter of which she also starred in. As a writer and producer, her credits include co-writing the indie darling Celeste and Jesse Forever, contributing to Black Mirror, helping craft the story for Toy Story 4, and co-creating Hulu’s The Other Black Girl.
Most recently, Jones has been busy both on-screen and behind the scenes. She executive produced and starred in Apple TV+’s Sunny and was tapped to co-write Tom & Jerry for Warner Bros. Animation. Up next, she’ll appear in the latest season of Netflix’s Black Mirror, sharing the screen with Tracee Ellis Ross.