Cheryl Hines Tells Letterman About Directing Her First Film, the Adrienne Shelly-Penned <em>Serious Moonlight</em>

Cheryl Hines is a real sweetheart. One of the truly nicest people you'll ever meet. She's also wickedly funny, and a talented first-time director who stepped into a very challenging role two years ago in helming a deliciously dark comedy penned by my late wife Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and co-starred in 2007's hit film Waitress. Adrienne wrote Serious Moonlight as her follow-up to Waitress, and was in development with it at the time of her tragic death November 1, 2006. I teamed with Waitress producer Michael Roiff to get the film made.

Serious Moonlight is about a troubled marriage on the precipice, centering on a high-powered female attorney who learns that her husband is about to leave her for a much younger woman, and holds him captive until he promises to stay with her and love her forever.

Taking on the role of director for this project would've been a daunting task for a seasoned director, let alone someone helming for the first time. But having worked with Adrienne in the past, Cheryl had a keen understanding of her humor and overall comedic sensibilities, and saw a unique opportunity to both honor Adrienne's work and make a truly entertaining film she would've been proud of. Having the chance to direct such a stellar cast was very appealing to her as well.

"Adrienne had an incredible talent for writing great comedy alongside heart-wrenching drama, which is not easy to pull off," said Cheryl. "So I felt very fortunate to have this amazing material to work with, and to have it brought to life by such great actors as Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Justin Long and Kristen Bell. It's a story that I think many people will identify with in some very personal way."

Serious Moonlight will be released in theaters December 4th, and will be available on Video On Demand November 6th. Watch the trailer below: