Kathryn Hahn is following up her Emmy-nominated turn as the fantastical Wicked Witch of Westview on “WandaVision” by playing an iconic, trailblazing comedian. The “Bad Moms” star has been tapped to play Joan Rivers in “The Comeback Girl,” a limited series in development at Showtime. She’s also exec producing the project. Variety broke the news.
Later known for her red carpet commentary, Rivers “began her run of iconic appearances on ‘The Tonight Show’ in the mid-‘60s, which eventually led to her becoming Johnny Carson’s regular guest host on that show in the 1980s. The two had a bitter falling out in 1986 after she went to the nascent Fox network for her own show, called ‘The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.’ In doing so, Rivers became the first woman to host a late-night talk show — but also Carson’s competition. He said he hadn’t heard the news from her, which hurt him, and he banned her from ‘The Tonight Show,'” per the source.
Set mostly in the aftermath of the cancellation of “The Late Show,” which was also a period of personal upheaval for Rivers, who was mourning the death of her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, “The Comeback Girl” is described as the “awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan Rivers persevered through near suicide and professional abyss to rebuild herself and her career to become a global icon.”
“I Know This Much Is True,” “Transparent,” and “Mrs. Fletcher” are among Hahn’s recent credits. Her upcoming slate includes “The Shrink Next Door,” an Apple TV+ dark comedy about a shrink and his longtime patient.
