Ronda Rousey is taking some time off from her fighting career, opting out of competing at UFC 200 in July. The MMA star is currently occupied with filming the reboot of Road House, which has seen its shooting schedule pushed back. Meanwhile, Rousey is continuing to line up projects for her burgeoning film career.
As first reported by Deadline’s Mike Fleming, Rousey is attached to co-star in a new comedy with Tina Fey. The working title of the project is Do Nothing Bitches, which comes from an interview Rousey filmed last summer in which she answered criticisms that her body looked too masculine, articulating her philosophy about female self-worth and how it’s fueled her life and career.
The video of the interview has gotten more than three million views on YouTube, and Rousey sold 57,000 t-shirts with the phrase on it.
The script for the film is being written by Paula Pell, who was a writer on Saturday Night Live for 15 seasons and wrote and acted in Fey’s most recent film, Sisters. According to Deadline, the story deals with female empowerment, centering upon a group of rich, pampered wives who attend a camp where they receive a “rude awakening” from a tough, no-nonsense instructor. Shall we take a guess as to which role Rousey will play in the movie?
A recent New Yorker article mentioned that Rousey’s role in the upcoming Mile 22 was reduced when a studio executive expressed concerns over the fighter’s acting ability and whether she could carry a large role in an action film. As a result, changes were made to the script that boosted Mark Wahlberg’s role while making Rousey’s character less of a factor, focusing more on fighting than acting.
https://youtu.be/CSiMDOhtz80
That wouldn’t seem to bode well for Rousey’s acting future, but if she shows comedic talent on screen with Fey (much like she did with Jerry Ferrara in the Entourage movie), maybe a better career lies ahead in comedy than action. Rousey will also get a chance to show her comedy chops when she hosts SNL on Jan. 23, but to be fair, plenty of actors have struggled in that live skit environment, so she probably shouldn’t be judged harshly.
Of course, if Rousey shows she can carry a film with the Road House reboot, any concerns about her acting will be muted. A good performance would likely also provide a boost to other projects lined up, such as an adaptation of her memoir My Fight/Your Fight and a rumored role in The Athena Project about an all-female team of Delta Force commandos. Maybe she could help her chances at nabbing a superhero role as Captain Marvel too.
Will Rousey have time for a fight in that schedule? That might depend on whether or not Holly Holm, who defeated Rousey last November, still has her title for a rematch after fighting Miesha Tate at UFC 197 in March.
[Deadline]
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.