Kate McKinnon to Star in Adaptation of YA Novel THE LUNCH WITCH

After winning an Emmy for her work on SNL and standing out in Ghostbusters, Kate McKinnon’s profile has risen quickly. The actress has added another project, as Deadline reports she is set to play the lead role of Grunhilda in The Lunch Witch, a comedy based on Deb Lucke’s YA novel. The Amblin Entertainment production will be directed by Clay Kaytis (The Angry Birds Movie), making his live-action debut.

The novel’s synopsis seems to fit with McKinnon’s brand of eccentricity:

For generations and generations, the women of Grunhilda’s family have stirred up trouble in a big, black pot. Grunhilda inherits her famous ancestors’ recipes and cauldron, but no one believes in magic anymore. Despite the fact that Grunhilda’s only useful skill is cooking up potfuls of foul brew, she finds a job listing that might suit her: lunch lady. She delights in scaring the kids until she meets Madison, a girl with thick glasses and unfinished homework who doesn’t fit in. The two outsiders recognize each other. Madison needs help at school and at home, but helping people goes against everything Grunhilda’s believes in as a witch! Will this girl be able to thaw the Lunch Witch’s icy heart? Or will Grunhilda turn her back on a kindred spirit?