Debbie Harry and Pamela Anderson to Play Mother and Daughter in Indie Comedy Maitreya
The writer of The Whale is behind the comedy, set to be directed by Jonathan Krisel
consequence.net
By Liz Shannon Miller – 8th May 2026
In the 1990s, it’d be wild to imagine a movie in which Debbie Harry would play Pamela Anderson’s mother, but that’s the pitch for Maitreya, an indie comedy currently seeking a deal at Cannes. Deadline reports that the film, written by The Whale screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter, is set to be directed by Portlandia and Baskets’s Jonathan Krisel.
Here’s the official description of the movie, from independent film studio Caviar:
Maitreya (Anderson), a rising star in the New Age Healing community, is about to head off to a conference in India when she receives a call from her estranged sister, Monica: their father is dying. Rather than stay home with him, Maitreya decides to bring her entire family – including her mother Barbara (Harry) – to the conference and put her New Age healing theories to the test (all while surreptitiously gathering material for her next book).
While of course best known for rocking out with Blondie, Harry’s acting credits include Videodrome, Cop Land, and My Life Without Me. Anderson’s own career has experienced a notable upswing in recent years, thanks to her acclaimed work in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl in 2024, followed by her hilarious performance in the 2025 revival of The Naked Gun.
If you’re curious, Harry is currently 80 years old while Anderson is 58 — a very plausible age gap for the two women. For more, check out our recent interview with Harry and Blondie bandmate Chris Stein.
