EXCLUSIVE: Aubrey Plaza is joining Oscar winner Michael Caine in Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut Best Sellers.

The story follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor, Plaza, trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion.

The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-UK co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound, The Butler), Petr Jákl (xXx, Ghoul, Medieval) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (Item 7: War Witch, The Hummingbird Project) on the Canadian side. EPs include Martin Barab, Jere Hausfater and Mark Damon. Adam Goldworm is also an executive producer

Foresight Unlimited handled foreign sales, while Elwes will handle the domestic sale. Cameras roll this month.

Roessler is a Canadian actor, writer and director. Her previous short films Little Whispers: The Vow and Winter have won awards and screened at festivals around the globe. Her feature script, The Rescuer, is one of 10 scripts selected to partake in the 2019 TIFF Writers’ Studio.

Plaza recently wrapped production on the feature Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama that she produced and stars in opposite Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. Also upcoming for Plaza is the Netflix feature Hope from New Zealand duo Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami. The Parks and Recreation actress’ other feature film credits include this past summer’s Child’s Play, Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Judd Apatow’s Funny People, among others.

On TV, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s Legion on FX. Additionally, she hosted the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Plaza is repped by CAA, MGMT Entertainment and Schreck Rose.