Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively may be joining forces with Paul Feig on the upcoming thriller, A Simple Favor. The women-centric murder-mystery has become a popular sub-genre in recent years, thanks mostly to David Fincher's acclaimed adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. Rosamund Pike earned raves for her performance in Gone Girl, and in 2016 there was brief Oscar buzz about Emily Blunt when she played the heroine in another Gone Girl-like thriller, The Girl on the Train (the film itself ended up disappointing critics however).

After the success of Fincher's movie both at the box office and in terms of garnering awards consideration, more big-name Hollywood actresses are now lining up to find their own Gone Girl. Kendrick and Lively are reportedly both interested in one such property, in the form of A Simple Favor - a film that was originally acquired by Fox 2000 but is soon to pass into the hands of Lionsgate and director Paul Feig.

As reported by Tracking Board, Kendrick and Lively are in talks to appear in the adaptation of A Simple Favor, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell. The story is described as a mystery about a single mother whose life is upended when her best friend suddenly disappears (no word yet on which role is being considered by which actress). Feig reportedly is ready to bail on directing Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson in Late Night in order to take on the task of directing A Simple Favor next, instead.

Blake Lively in The Shallows

For Feig, doing a dark-tinged mystery based on a novel would be a huge departure, as he is best known for directing comedies like Bridesmaids, Heat, The Spy and last summer's Ghostbusters. Though A Simple Favor would see Feig moving away from comedy, it would see him once again working with a cast of big-name actresses, something that has become a calling-card for him.

Like Feig, Kendrick would somewhat be departing from her comfort zone by starring in A Simple Favor. In recent years, Kendrick has mostly done low-budget comedies like Mr. Right and Table 19 and musicals like the Pitch Perfect films and Into the Woods. Kendrick did go a bit dark in 2016 when she starred alongside Ben Affleck in the crime thriller The Accountant, and perhaps that was something she enjoyed as a change-up to all the light fare she tends to gravitate toward.

Blake Lively certainly is no stranger to darker stories, after her starring role in 2016's summer shark thriller The Shallows, and previous roles in Oliver Stone's Savages and Ben Affleck's The Town. She even has some of that cool blonde Rosamund Pike quality going for her. Production on A Simple Favor is set to begin in August.

NEXT: Anna Kendrick Has Been Considered for Squirrel Girl Casting

Source: Tracking Board