Melissa McCarthy, The Next James Bond (Sort Of)

Melissa McCarthy has entered the “early talks” phase for becoming the next James Bond (sort of).

McCarthy’s Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig is developing the spy comedy Susan Cooper with the funny lady in mind.

Those expecting a Spy Hard styled spoof, however, may be disappointed. TheWrap noted on Thursday that the film will be a “realistic comedy about a female James Bond-type.”

Should Melissa McCarthy end up taking the project, it will have to work around her Mike & Molly schedule, sources said.

Feig, who wrote the Susan Cooper script and will produce, said he was inspired by the 2006 James Bond reboot Casino Royale, which, he added, was one of his favorite films.

McCarthy would be wise to stick with Paul Feig on this. Their collaborations thus far have been comic (and box office) gold.

With Bridesmaids, the pair was joined by Kristen Wiig and an all-star cast to score $288 million in worldwide earnings (on a budget of about $32.5 million).

While McCarthy wasn’t alone in getting laughs, her scenes were the most memorable, and that led to Identity Thief, which also proved successful taking in close to $174 million on a $35 million budget.

Her latest success, The Heat, has grossed $156 million worldwide on a budget of just $43 million.

Audiences respond well to Melissa McCarthy because she is who she is, and has no desire to be anything different.

Still, she does have her detractors. In a review of Identity Thief, uber-mature film critic Rex Reed called McCarthy a “female hippo” and referred to her dimensions as “tractor-sized.”

Here’s a look at McCarthy in action:

Facing a backlash, Reed stood by his comments.

“I can only repeat what I have said before — that I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything personal against people who suffer from obesity… What I object to is the disgusting attempt to pretend obesity is funny. It is not remotely humorous, and every obese comedian who ever made jokes about the disease are now dead from strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes,” Reed said.

What’s your take on Rex Reed’s comments concerning Melissa McCarthy, and would you go see her do her best James Bond as Susan Cooper?

[Image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]