Kim Kardashian's "The Fifth Wheel" Find Its Director in Eva Longoria

The Netflix pic "The Fifth Wheel", starring Kim Kardashian, is adding even more star power by tapping Eva Longoria to direct and Gloria Sanchez coming as producers of the comedy.

The movie is scripted by longtime Saturday Night Live writer Paula Pell and Janine Brito (One Day at a Time). Both Kardashian and Pell are producing along with Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell through their Gloria Sanchez banner as well as Cris Abrego and Longoria’s Hyphenate Media Group.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, sources say Kardashian will play the eponymous “fifth wheel” alongside a female ensemble cast.

The project has been a priority ever since the streamer landed the package over Thanksgiving weekend in 2023 following a competitive auction. To no one’s surprise, given Pell’s track record, the script has been described as one of the funnier in some time by a number of buyers who were involved in the auction.

That stamp of approval was legitimatized with Gloria Sanchez boarding the project. The production company has built a resume of not only popular hit comedies like "Booksmart" and "Theater Camp" but also films led by strong female talent both in front and behind the camera.

Once Sanchez jumped in, the next step was finding a director and it soon became important to all parties to find a female director to help tell the story. 

After several meetings, execs and producers landed on Longoria as the right fit following her major studio directing debut, "Flamin’ Hot". The Searchlight biopic blew away the town after it premiered at SXSW 2023, where it won the audience award and earned praise specifically pointed at Longoria for her directing skills.

While that film leaned more on the dramatic end, "Flamin’ Hot" showcased plenty of laughs and heart and became a big selling point for this pic.

As for Kardashian, this isn’t her only acting job in the coming months, she will be seen in Hulu series "All’s Fair," which dropped to a big reaction last week.

The "The Fifth Wheel" role comes after she starred in the most recent season of FX's "American Horror Story", in which she played a publicist named Siobhan who works for Emma Roberts' actress character Anna Victoria Alcott. Her role as a publicist earned her strong notices.

In addition to an appearance as herself in 2018's "Ocean's Eight", Kardashian also lent her voice to the character Delores in the two recent animated PAW Patrol movies.