The Office's Jenna Fischer gets A Little Help

Many of the actors on beloved hit show The Office can credit its success for helping them launch fledgling film careers. Steve Carell, for one, has catapulted into one of today's biggest movie stars, with big hits (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Get Smart) and successful smaller-scale flicks (Dan in Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine).

But it has been sort of rough going for the rest of the show's cast. John Krasinski landed a high-profile role in George Clooney's Leatherheads, but that film failed to ignite much of a spark when it released earlier this year. Rainn Wilson's had even worse luck, with a brief cameo as the quickwitted cashier in Juno and suffering through the box office death of his leading vehicle, The Rocker. Craig Robinson has had memorable (if underdeveloped) bit parts in Pineapple Express and Knocked Up, making a convincing argument that he should be awarded with a leading role, and fast.

Now it's Jenna Fischer's turn, everyone's favorite girl-next-door-who-is-also-the-girl-of-your-dreams. Fischer's tried before, with roles in Blades of Glory and Walk Hard, but neither have given her the fanfare she deserves. The Emmy-nominated actress will headline the indie drama A Little Help, a story about a recently widowed single mother who reembarks in an affair with her brother-in-law. The flick will see the feature film writing and directing debut for King of Queens creator Michael J. Weithorn. Shooting begins in January, for a likely late 2009 release in what might prove to be baby steps toward life outside of Dunder Mifflin.

Related links:
Review: Walk Hard
News: The Office takes over the world
News: Steve Carell signs on for three more years at The Office

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.