Woman of the Hour Cast Takes on the Dating Show Murder Scandal

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut is here and she’s not playing any games.

Based on the true story of murderer Rodney Alcala, Woman of the Hour, which hit Netflix on Friday, October 18, explores the notorious serial killer and sex offender who found his next potential victim on national TV while appearing on a 1978 episode of The Dating Game.

For Kendrick, who both stars in and directs the film, the project immediately grabbed her attention for its countless twists and turns.

“I think I was particularly invested in the script and in pieces of the script that [my character is] not in, in a way that I normally wouldn’t be,” she told Netflix’s Tudum in September 2024. “I really like the complicated journey of a woman who is shrinking herself and being very pleasing and then manages to rebel and take back some power.”

Although Alcala (played by Danny Zovatto in the film) was eventually arrested and sentenced to death for multiple murders, Kendrick wanted Woman of The Hour to focus on the women whose lives were cut short by one man’s actions.

Before streaming the new film, meet the cast who’s taking on The Dating Game murder scandal: