‘Chipmunks 2’ & ‘Doctor Doolittle’ Helmer Betty Thomas Eyes ‘Desperados’ With Isla Fisher

With “The Hangover” proving to studios that an R-rated comedy can bring in the big bucks, executives are now trying the concept with a female twist. “Bridesmaids” — which recently unspooled at SXSW and met our expectations head on — will be the first R-rated, women driven comedy in ages but it won’t be the last. Isla Fisher has been attached for a while now to “Desperados,” a raunchy road trip comedy and it looks like the project is settling on a pretty unlikely director.

THR reports that Betty Thomas — helmer of such fare as “I Spy,” “Doctor Doolittle” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” — is in talks to take the reins on the project. She would be taking over from the previously attached Wayne McClammy (best known for his work on “The Sarah Silverman Program” and viral smashes “I’m Fucking Matt Damon” and “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck“) who left over “creative differences.” The plot follows a lovelorn woman who, when her new man fails to get in contact after they sleep together, sends him a furious email. It’s only after that that she discovers he’s actually in a coma in a Mexican hospital, and she gathers her BFFs to head south and prevent him from reading her message.

We read an early draft of the script and weren’t that impressed, largely because a recent mini-trend in romantic comedies (“Bride Wars,” “You Again,” “Leap Year,” “All About Steve“) of making their central characters seem crazier than Charlie Sheen, renders them totally unsympathetic. But we really think Fisher is funny and talented so we hope the script has be firmed and re-tooled for her sensibilities. As for Thomas — we’re still trying to understand the reasoning on this decision but maybe all that time making utter dreck has finally pushed her to get involved in something with meat on the bone. She did bail on “Alvin & The Chipmunks 3” last fall so here’s hoping she’s got a fire lit under her to completely shift gears.