What serial killer is Anna Kendrick’s “dating game” about?

Anna Kendrick recently became aware of her film which recently premiered at TIFF. It would be Alice, darling, which is a darker project than we’re used to seeing from the Oscar nominee. The film revolves around emotional violence, and while we usually see Anna in lighter (or at least punchier) fare, don’t expect her to cheer up right away. Instead, she’s set to make her directorial debut in the true-crime genre. Kendrick is also expected to star in The dating gamewhich is based on a real life horror story.

The film is so named for the infamous 1970s spectacle that predated the likes of Boy’s Island and Dated and bound. And certainly, no story based on reality like the bachelorette wants something really unsavory to happen, so the verification processes try to leave no stone unturned. However, something particularly gruesome slipped through the cracks. The dating show, and serial killer Rodney Alcaca ended up landing in the dating pool. He was a dodgy charmer, and here’s a clip from CBS News that noted his death (from natural causes while on death row) in 2021.

The story is fascinating and The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the project attached to Anna had launched a bidding frenzy at TIFF. International sales also poured in and, thankfully, the bachelorette (Cheryl Bradshaw) who chose Alcaca made it out alive. That she lived could be partly down to luck, given that Alcaca was a prolific murderer who reportedly took 130+ lives. He often poses as a photographer in order to charm women into dating him. A spooky wallet of the more than 200 women he photographed could provide further clues to other (yet undiscovered) crimes, though the public jury is still on that note.

Don’t expect a com rom from this project, that’s for sure. The dating game will use a blacklisted script by Ian McDonald and will no doubt target the same audience that ravenously devours projects like Netflix’s Dahmer, which has already reached the list of all-time best for the streamer. No release date set for The dating game exists for now, but those who find the serial killer content irresistible will have to wait.