Bell Rings Up “You Again”

Kristen Bell, the latest blonde rom-com queen?

Variety reports that Kristen Bell is set to star in the comedy “You Again.” Andy Fickman is directing.

Bell will play a girl who finds out, to her horror, that her brother is engaged to her worst enemy from high school. I hate it when that happens!!

This is the latest in a number of projects for Bell. She has “When in Rome” coming out this August, has booked a role in “Couples Retreat” and did voice work for “Astro Boy.” And of course she’s a regular voice on “Gossip Girl.” With “You Again,” she looks like she’s trying to step into the role of blonde romantic comedy star that belonged to Renee Zellweger and Reese Witherspoon. Well, not that they’re giving up that crown–despite the Oscar, Reese showed she still could score a solid comic hit with her appearance in “Four Christmases.” Zellweger keeps trying, but has been making bad choices. Which isn’t hard to do–writing a good romantic comedy is one of the toughest jobs in screenwriting. “You Again” sounds like a cute premise, but it could easily be made into a mess. Hey, with comedies you don’t have big explosions and robots or a prestigious literary history to carry the weight. It’s all got to be in the script, even more so than in the casting or directing. Good luck, Miss Bell.