It’s the news that all Pamela Anderson fans have been waiting for: after a Broadway debut, a deeply moving Netflix documentary, and a set of viral appearances at Paris Fashion Week, the Baywatch star is finally ready to return to the big screen with a juicy lead role in a major new release. On February 1, Deadline revealed that the actor, model, and verified fashion icon would be taking on the title part in the next film from Mainstream’s Gia Coppola—and that she’d be playing a Vegas showgirl, no less.
Penned by Kate Gersten (Schmigadoon!, The Good Place, Mozart in the Jungle) and titled The Last Showgirl, the drama, according to its log line, “follows a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. As a dancer in her fifties, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she strives to repair a strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat to her showgirl family.”
While it’s not yet clear who will play whom when it comes to the supporting roles, we do know some of the starry names who’ll be joining Anderson on the Vegas stage: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka; American Horror Story’s Billie Lourd; The Social Network’s Brenda Song; Dune’s Dave Bautista; and none other than Jamie Lee Curtis. From this, we can surmise that, given the resemblance between them, Shipka may be taking the part of Anderson’s daughter, while the likes of Lourd, Song, and—fingers crossed—Curtis portray her fellow dancers. The latter following up her Oscar-winning role as a hot dog-fingered IRS inspector in Everything Everywhere All at Once and the destructive whirlwind that was Donna Berzatto in The Bear’s second season with a transformation into a feathered headdress and sequined bodysuit-wearing entertainer? I literally cannot think of anything better.
“I’ve always wanted to make a movie in Vegas,” Gia Coppola said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “I’m so proud of our cast and crew, especially Pamela. I can’t wait to share her daring and heartfelt performance!” And it shouldn’t be long until we get to see it, either—the publication has confirmed that the film recently wrapped production. Here’s hoping that it’ll land in theaters relatively soon, and that it’ll showcase both sides of Anderson: the glossy-haired, red-lipped glamazon we’ve known and loved since the ’90s, but also the softer, bare-faced and more emotionally raw iteration of her that’s been on display over the last few months.