Those who can't do, copy.

In the first trailer for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?,"Melissa McCarthy becomes one of the country's most notorious real-life forgers. She plays bestselling celebrity biographer Lee Israel, who penned books about Katharine Hepburn, and Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder. Then, she stops getting work and goes broke.

Lee then turns to a life of crime by forging letters from prominent writers like Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. Helped by friend Jack (Richard E. Grant), she starts raking in cash for the forged letters — until one buyer starts asking questions.

The movie, directed by Marielle Heller ("The Diary of a Teenage Girl"), will be one of several starring McCarthy this year, after the actress took a bit of a hiatus last year. It looks less broadly comedic than her other work, like "Bridesmaids" and "Spy," but highlights her dramatic chops as McCarthy diversifies her projects.

"Can You Ever Forgive Me?" opens October 19.