Screenwriter Amanda Idoko Talks Breaking News In Yuba County
Premiering on digital and in select theaters February 12 from MGM is the comedy drama Breaking News In Yuba County, directed by Tate Taylor (The Help, Get On Up, Ma, Ava) and produced by Jake Gyllenhall, Tate Taylor, John Norris, Franklin Leonard, and Riva Marker.
Written by Amanda Idoko, the cast includes Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Awkwafina, Wanda Sykes, Jimmi Simpson, Juliette Lewis, Matthew Modine, Ellen Barkin, Samira Wiley, Bridget Everett, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Keong Sim.
Breaking News in Yuba County is a dark and twisted comedy that explores the outrageous lengths some will go to in order to garner some much-desired attention.
After her husband goes missing, Sue Buttons (Allison Janney), an underappreciated suburban wife, gets a taste of being a local celebrity as she embarks on a city-wide search in Yuba County to find him. In an effort to prolong her newfound fame, she stumbles into hilarious hijinks as her world turns upside down, dodging a wanna-be mobster (Awkwafina), a relentless local policewoman (Regina Hall), her half-sister (Mila Kunis) a local news reporter desperate for a story, and her husband’s dead-beat brother (Jimmi Simpson), who all set out to uncover the truth behind the disappearance.
For Idoko, this is her first feature screenplay that has been produced by a studio. Idoko has written for sitcoms such as “The Mayor,” “The Goldbergs,” and “Imaginary Mary,” and Apple TV+’s animated comedy “Central Park.” The Cornell University grad started out as a writers’ assistant on “Bones” before being selected to participate in the Walt Disney/ABC Television Writing Program in 2016. Her screenplay for “Breaking News” landed on The Black List in 2017 when its creator Franklin Leonard reached out to help produce the film. In speaking with BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales, Idoko talks about writing the script, getting it produced and landing a bevy of talent to star in it.
