Netflix has acquired world rights to The Starling.
The streamer won the bidding race for the Ted Melfi-directed drama starring Melissa McCarthy. In addition to McCarthy, the film also stars Chris O’Dowd and Kevin Kline, and a large ensemble cast.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film follows a married couple that suffers a hardship, leading Jack (O’Dowd) to head off to deal with his grief while Lilly (McCarthy) remains in the “real” world, dealing with her own guilt. As if Lilly’s troubles weren’t bad enough, a starling bird that has nested in her backyard begins to harass and attack her and she becomes comically obsessed with killing it. Lilly eventually finds guidance from Larry (Kline), a quirky psychologist-turned-veterinarian with a troubled past of his own. The two form a unique and unlikely friendship as they each help the other to explore, acknowledge and confront their problems.
Melfi, who co-wrote, directed and produced Hidden Figures, has been developing another project for Netflix, Huck, based on a comic book by Mark Millar.
