Adam McKay’s next directorial effort, “The Other Guys,” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg is right around the corner and hits theaters August 6, so he’s already eyeing his next gig.
We already know that it’s probably going to be a live-action adaptation of the comic book “The Boys” for Sony (though McKay notes that he hasn’t “officially signed on yet”). Penned by “Preacher” scribe Garth Ennis, the comic book is a superhero satire focusing on a secret CIA group whose mission is to keep tabs on, and sometimes violently punish, out-of-control superheroes.
And he already has actors in mind. Or at least an actor in “Shaun of The Dead” star Simon Pegg, and it makes sense as Ennis and illustrator Darick Robertson modeled the character Wee Hughie after the English comedian. During press for “The Other Guys” today, McKay said he hadn’t had a conversation about the role with the actor yet, but he stressed if the project happens, it must have the frequent Edgar Wright collaborator. “I haven’t officially signed on yet, so I haven’t had any conversations with anyone, but [Pegg has] got to do it. It has to be [him].”
Surely, they’ll bump into each other at Comic-Con this week and will discuss, no? Why no sign on yet? Some speculation: it’s a Sony project, potentially heavily rated-R and pretty violent (or at least that’s how the comic is and the way McKay wants to make it). So Sony probably wants to see how the PG-13 rated “The Other Guys” does in theaters and McKay is probably waiting to hear back if he can make the picture as raw and brutal as he’d like. Stay tuned…