Kumail Nanjiani is stepping behind the camera for the first time. Orion Pictures, part of Amazon MGM Studios, has landed rights to "Howl," a horror comedy that Nanjiani will direct and star in, according to Deadline.

The script, written by Madison Vanderberg, follows a famous but notoriously troubled actor who announces on a talk show that in less than an hour he will turn into a werewolf on live television. Vanderberg, a former entertainment news and pop culture writer, is currently writing the feature comedy "Corporate Retreat" for Netflix. Her "Howl" screenplay landed on the 2024 Black List — the annual survey of liked-but-unproduced Hollywood scripts that often functions as a calling card for new screenwriters.

"Howl" is in development, with a target of entering production in 2026, as Film Stories and Yahoo Movies UK reported in December 2025.

The producing team spans two companies. Winter Coat Films — the production banner of Nanjiani and his wife and creative partner Emily V. Gordon — has Nanjiani, Gordon and Dani Melia producing. Weed Road Pictures brings Akiva Goldsman, Greg Lessans and Rachel Wizenberg. Wizenberg, a senior vice president at Weed Road, brought the project in and will oversee it for the company.

Nanjiani's shift into directing arrives during a busy stretch. His comedy special "Night Thoughts" debuted on Hulu in December 2025 and earned a Golden Globe nomination — a notable gap from his first special, "Beta Male," which arrived 12 years earlier. He was also cast in the fourth season of HBO's "The White Lotus."

Winter Coat Films has been building a broader slate at Amazon MGM. Nanjiani and Gordon are adapting the comic book series "Sex Criminals" as co-creators and executive producers, with a series order at Amazon MGM and LuckyChap producing alongside them. The company also has the comedy film "Compulsive Liar" set at Amazon MGM, with Nanjiani co-writing and producing.

For Nanjiani, "Howl" threads together the strands of a career that has moved from stand-up to ensemble comedy to prestige television drama. Now he adds a director's chair — and a werewolf — to the mix.