Aniston to Train "Pumas" on the Big Screen

Jennifer Aniston's recent feature interview in the December issue of Vogue has caused quite a stir, what with her supposedly dissing Angelina Jolie and what-not, but from our perspective they really buried the lede. Near the end of the article, the biggest news in the Aniston world was dropped like our jaws upon hearing it:

But it is a third project, Pumas, that is the furthest along—and the most telling about Aniston's state of mind these days. It is a film about older women dating younger men that [Aniston's film production partner Kristin] Hahn describes as a "high-octane comedy about sexual politics and double standards."

That's right, folks. Jennifer Aniston's going to star in a cougar comedy just like her BFF and former "Friends" co-star Courteney Cox. But if Cox's "Cougar Town" left you uninspired, wait to hear what Aniston has to say about her Puma project.

"It's sort of a female Wedding Crashers. It's about these girls who aspire to become cougars. They just paaarty! Young party girls who just find hot young guys to play with and then dump them. Why can't women do it?"


Okay, this concept strikes us, unlike so many of the other cougar shows in production, as having real promise. Of course it'll come down to casting. Wedding Crashers would've been just another crappy slapstick comedy if not for the comedic genius of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, and the wonderful supporting cast including Isla Fisher, Christopher Walken, and, of course, cougar queen Jane Seymour. And while we like Aniston (far more than Cox), we find it hard to believe she'll be able to carry this one on her own. She's funny, but more of a "straight man" sort of way. Who will play Vince Vaughn to her Owen Wilson?

We tried to find some details on this project to find out, but our five minute search yielded no results. But there's no question there are plenty of great candidates out there, and this project strikes us as the right thing at the right time for aging funny ladies. The article's author Jonathon Van Meter seems to agree:

At a time when Hollywood is obsessed with the Judd Apatow version of the infantile, directionless 40-year-old man, it is a tantalizing notion. Aniston, after all, has trained with the Big Boys—as David Frankel says, "What she does so brilliantly is play great tennis with the big stars of our day: Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Vince Vaughn." Why couldn't she create an alternative by having fun with female stereotypes—not to mention provide another option than the Carrie Bradshaw model she so detests?

In the past we've questioned whether Aniston really qualified as a cougar or not, but it's hard to argue the point any longer or that she hasn't embraced her newfound cougar status and really run with it. Might she be angling to earn top honors in Urbancougar.com's Top Cougars of 2008?!


The December issue of Vogue is on newsstands now.