In May of this year, just a few short weeks after it was announced they would both be starring in Ruben Fleischer’s action comedy, “30 Minutes Or Less,” it was announced that Danny McBride and Aziz Ansari had signed on for a second comedy project together.
Harris Wittels was tapped to write the script, Based on a pitch by “30 Rock” writer Matt Hubbard. With credits under his belt for “Parks & Recreation” and “Human Giant,” we were pretty sure Ansari could vouch for Wittels’ work. At the time, all plot points were under wraps, but MTV has finally scored a few small details.
On the set of ’30 Minutes’ McBride dropped some info about the film, saying “It’s about this Olympic athlete who comes back to his hometown and he bangs mine and Aziz’s girlfriends. So we go on this mission to destroy his Olympic life.” Sounds like a bit of a reversal on the premise of “Eastbound & Down.” McBride also let drop the title of the film which is, rather appropriately, “Olympic Sized Asshole.”
Will that title stick? We kind of doubt it unless they short it to ‘A-hole’, and even then, we don’t see it happening; but then again ‘Fockers’ doesn’t seem to be an issue for anybody, so who knows. You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the project is being produced via David Gordon Green and Jody Hill’s Rough House production shingle (they’re making every McBride related film it seems). No word yet on when it might get in front of cameras, but with Ansari free and clear from “Parks & Recreation” until next spring, there is plenty of time to slot it in. — Kevin Jagernauth
