Mindy Kaling’s highly anticipated ‘Late Night’ debuts first trailer

Building on months of critical buzz, Mindy Kaling’s “Late Night” unveiled its first trailer Thursday, further proof of her transformation from TV sensation into a creative force on the big screen, both in front of and behind the camera.

“The Office” and “The Mindy Project” alum stars in the film alongside Emma Thompson, for whom Kaling penned the comedy’s script, and the women certainly bring the funny in the first glimpse of the Amazon Studios flick.

Thompson plays acerbic, outdated TV host Katherine Newbury, who learns she’ll soon be replaced on her own show. So she tasks her all-male, all-white writers room to “think about why the show is bad and come up with ways to fix it.”

Enter Kaling’s Molly Patel, a diversity hire describing herself as “a vibrant splash of color on the gray canvas of our writing staff.” She joins the show and upends its stodgy old guard with her “pushiness and lack of boundaries,” according to Newbury. Her presence also douses the television satire with contemporary themes of inclusion, mainly a savior who is actually person of color.

“I know what everyone thinks of me,” Molly says in a tête-à-tête with a co-worker (Hugh Dancy). “But just because I was lucky enough to get this job doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to lose it.”

The film is also directed by a woman, Nisha Ganatra, whose television directing credits include Kaling’s “The Mindy Project,” “Dear White People,” “The Last Man on Earth” and “Better Things.” Kaling, who wrote and stars in the film, also produced it.

The morning after the crowd-pleasing comedy premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, news broke that Amazon Studios had purchased U.S. rights for a whopping $13 million after an all-night bidding war.

“Late Night,” which also stars John Lithgow, Amy Ryan and Ike Barinholtz, hits theaters on June 7.

Follow me: @NardineSaad