Jashandeep Singh
‘Fruitcake,’ a film based on the Collin Street Bakery embezzlement case, is back in development. The project was first announced in 2019 but did not move forward for production at the time. The crime drama film tells the true story of Sandy and Kay Jenkins, an ordinary middle-class couple who managed to embezzle $17 million from Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, by taking advantage of Sandy’s job as an accountant. The incident came to light in 2013 and shook the entire world.
In May 2019, Will Ferrell (‘Step Brothers,’ ‘Blades of Glory,’ and ‘The Lego Movie’) and Laura Dern (‘Rambling Rose,’ ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ and ‘Big Little Lies’) were cast in the roles of Sandy and Kay respectively with Eclipse Pictures financing the project. However, a year later, it was confirmed that Dern had left the film due to scheduling conflicts and was being replaced by Julianne Moore (‘Still Alice,’ ‘The End of the Affair,’ and ‘Far from Heaven’). However, there had been no further developments regarding the production of the film until recently when it was confirmed that the project is again in the works. Since there are no new updates about the casting, it is likely that the roles may get recast again.
At the time of the film’s announcement, Max Winkler was confirmed to be helming the project. It is not yet confirmed if the filmmaker is still attached to the movie. Winkler’s previous release was the 2019 drama film ‘Jungleland.’ Earlier than that, he directed the 2017 comedy-drama ‘Flower’ which was nominated for the Jury Award for Best US Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The director is also known for his work on multiple episodes of television shows like ‘American Horror Stories,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ ‘New Girl,’ ‘Clark and Michael,’ and ‘The New Normal.’
The true story of the case is adapted into a screenplay by Trey Selman. “Trey’s writing is original and dynamic and unlike any I’ve read before and I’m deeply excited to help tell this story along with two of my favorite actors working today,” Winkler said in his official statement during the announcement of the film. The two are also teaming up for the upcoming HBO series ‘King Rex.’
Bob McNutt, the President and CEO of Collin Street Bakery serves as an executive producer on the film. The project has received a casting waiver from SAG-AFTRA, which means the film can continue to cast actors during the strike. However, production will begin only after the conclusion of the strike.
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