John Krasinski Directs Steve Carell in Delightful New Film
John Krasinski speaks onstage as he promotes the upcoming films "A Quiet Place: Day One" and "If" during the Paramount Pictures presentation during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 27, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Carell attends FX's "The Patient" Season 1 Premiere at NeueHouse Los Angeles on August 23, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
A Quiet Place director/writer John Krasinski may have another film franchise on his hands. The Office alum’s latest sees him teaming up with his old “boss”/co-star in a new, delightful fantasy film. IF was written and directed by Krasinski, who starred as Jim Halpert in the sitcom. His new, family-friendly film sees Steve Carell voicing the role of a huge, fluffy purple creature. IF stands for “Imaginary Friends,” and the fantasy comedy follows a young girl who starts seeing imaginary friends who have been abandoned by their originators.
The plot sounds a bit like the Cartoon Network animated series Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, which also has a purple fluffy creature. The mostly-live-action film also stars Krasinski and his wife and A Quiet Place star Emily Blunt, Ryan Reynolds, Matt Damon, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Christopher Meloni, Awkwafina, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., Bobby Moynihan, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Richard Jenkins.
Wholesome Filmmaking
This is the first time Krasinski and Carell have teamed up on something since The Office ended in 2013. Krasinski previously told Collider over the summer that the film was made for his kids because he they’re not allowed to see his sci-fi horror (A Quiet Place) just yet. In the 2018 film, though rated PG-13, he and Blunt’s daughters Hazel and Violet are under ten years old (Hazel is nine and Violet is seven). He said Blunt calls it “PG-40,” telling their daughters that is when they are allowed to watch the film.
Having FOMO for his daughters, what else was a dad to do other than make a movie they could see? Plus, he said he’s “really, really excited about it.” He further says that besides being adorable, imaginary friends are also “time capsules of your hopes, dreams, and ambitions when you were the most fertile of a brain, and it never goes away. I think we’re told that we’re adults instead of what if you realize that you never stopped being a kid.”
IF is set for release on May 17, 2024. Watch the trailer below:
Steve Carell’s 5 Funniest Movie Roles
Steve Carell is one of the most versatile comedic actors in Hollywood. He’s widely recognized for portraying Michael Scott in the American version of The Office television series. Carell has received numerous accolades for his acting in film and television. He was born on August 16, 1962, in Massachusetts, as the youngest of four brothers. His father, Edwin, was a mechanical engineer, and his mother, Harriet Theresa, was a psychiatric nurse. In high school, Carell played ice hockey and lacrosse. He also took up playing the fife (a small flute similar to the piccolo) with his family.
With an interest in history, Steve received a degree in the subject from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in 1984. While there, Carell was a member of Burpee’s Seedy Theatrical Company, a student-run improvisational comedy troupe, while being a goalie on the school’s Big Red hockey team for four years. He even was a disc jockey for the school’s campus radio station WDUB under the name “Sapphire Steve Carell.”
Steve’s Early Career
Early in his performing career, Carell acted onstage in a touring children’s theater company. He later starred in the comedy musical Knat Scatt Private Eye and in a television commercial for Brown’s Chicken in 1989. Carell made his film debut in a minor role as Tesio in 1991’s family comedy Curly Sue. It was in 1996 that Steve was a cast member of The Dana Carvey Show, a short-lived sketch program that lasted one season. Though the comedy program only lasted seven episodes, it has been credited with forging Carell’s career. Steve went on to star in several back-to-back comedy films in the 2000s, including 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the fan-favorite The 40-Year-Old Virgin a year later, Evan Almighty, Get Smart, and Date Night.
He’s got 84 acting credits below his belt. Take a look at our top 5 picks of Steve Carell’s funniest roles in movies (Not that that is the reason why The Office isn’t included here.)
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
