Drew Barrymore Will Face ‘The End’ In New Directorial Effort

Drew Barrymore made her directorial debut back in 2009 with the quirky but enjoyable little indie comedy “Whip It.” Full to the brim with kick-ass females and high-octane roller derby action, it was an oddly enjoyable effort that felt fresh and original. Since then, Barrymore hasn’t seemed in a rush to line up her sophomore effort, instead making the short film “Our Deal” and popping up in front of the camera in “Going the Distance” and “Big Miracle.” Well it seems like she’s decided that now is the time to return to directing, and, erm, this one seems a little bit less fresh and original.

The Hollywood Reporter have chosen to illustrate their article with a picture of Barrymore at the premiere of “Seeking a Friend For the End of the World,” and that seems rather apt, as she will direct Aron Eli Coleite’s script “The End” – an end-of-the-world movie that will focus on several people as they reconcile their fate on the last day on Earth. Characters will include a London-based radio presenter who wants to keep broadcasting 'til the end, a father in Tokyo trying to reach his family, and a teenage American couple.

Okay, it sounds like a slightly different set-up than the Knightley/Carell effort, but its uplifting and humanistic perspective on the apocalypse sounds like something very familiar. But hey, we can still imagine this making a great little double bill with “Melancholia.” Barrymore won’t take a role in this one like she did in “Whip It,” but hopefully she can still secure a cast as impressive as she did on both that project and her subsequent short, and if she replicates the talent she showed behind the camera last time then maybe we’ll start seeing bigger projects coming her way. That said, no word if this is next for her as Barrymore is still also attached to direct the young adult heist flick "Heist Society" and the self-explanatory "How To Be Single."