Entertainment

Meet Hollywood's new great power pairing

by Aly Semigran

Depp and Burton. Farrow and Allen. De Niro and Scorsese. These are just some of the actor/director collaborations that go together in Hollywood like peanut butter and jelly. (The organic kind, of course). Their work together is iconic on screen, and the great Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig are well on their way to joining the pantheon of the all-time best star/director pairings.

Thanks to their collaborations, we've been treated to two of the biggest and best hit comedies of the past decade, Bridesmaids and The Heat, and according to The Wrap, the Oscar-nominated actress is "in early talks to re-team with Feig on his female spy comedy Susan Cooper." All together now: "Yeah, oh shit!"

With a Heat sequel appearing to be off the table, the in-the-works Susan Cooper (which Feig has penned) will reportedly be "a realistic comedy about a female James Bond-type" in the vein of, well, The Heat. In the wake of the no Heat 2 news, we pondered if McCarthy needed sequels or franchises. Turns out, she already has the best possible follow-up: Paul Feig.

And thank goodness, because these two are a total match made in comedy heaven: Feig knows how to do smart comedy and launch comedy careers (see: the entire cast of Freaks and Geeks) and McCarthy is a comedic force of nature (see: everything she's done, especially her Saturday Night Live hosting gigs). Feig knows how to find the perfect balance of foul-mouthed comedy and heart, and McCarthy can have you in stitches one minute and putting a lump in your throat the next.

Even more telling than their effortless work relationship is their support for each other off-screen, as well. When wildly unamusing curmudgeon and quasi-critic Rex Reed gave a mean-spirited and ugly opinion that no one asked for regarding McCarthy's weight (he referred to her as "tractor-sized" because, you know, Rex Reed is just a delightful, relevant old man) Feig defended his leading and supporting lady.

"For his catty and school bully name-calling of the supremely talented Melissa McCarthy, I cordially invite Mr. Rex Reed to go fuck himself," Feig tweeted when the news broke earlier this year. Now that is a good boss.

But Feig doesn't just defend McCarthy, a master of physical comedy, he has repeatedly expressed why she is one of the best actresses out there, and why her talent simply cannot be tamed. Feig not only appreciates and understands funny women, but wants to give them the platform they have always deserved. Feig/McCarthy 2013? Nope, Feig/McCarthy 4-Ever.

Image: Yahoo