The unexpected upset success of “The Hangover” — the third highest debut ever for an R-rated comedy— has turned Ed Helms into a household name, right?
Ok, not quite, but Helms pitched a Civil War reenactors time travel comedy to Warner Bros (who put out ‘Hangover’) in February via Steve Carell’s production company and he’s had enough interest thrown at him to actually write the thing (he’s also set to star should it happen).
“It’s sort of a big, Back To The Future kind of comedy about Civil War reenactors who are sent back to the actual Civil War,” Helms told the A/V Club about the project he’s currently writing. “That’s basically the rest of my summer, I’m going to be writing that with my writing partner [Jake Fleisher]. And it’s such a fun project. I’m really excited about it. Steve is behind it, which is really fun.”
Could this project get greenlit for real? Maybe with a good comedy young comedy director on board? Todd Phillips? Jake Kasdan (who is allegedly interested in “Ghostbusters 3“)? The guy who directs the “Harold & Kumar” movies? Very early days, but Helms from all accounts is very lovely dude and we wish him continued success. Hell, we’d go see this. WB has taken a lot of risks in the last few years and they’ve paid off, so who’s to say this can’t be another left-field hit? Surely more interesting than “Land of The Lost,” or remake #15 million and 1.
Update: in a separate interview, Helms says the film also has a, ” ‘Galaxy Quest’ vibe to it. These Civil War reenactment actors are thrown into the real deal, and needless to say they are mortified. Researching and writing this movie has been so much fun. Our main characters over-romanticized the war, and to see it in the glaring light of day, with all the bloated egos and petty decisions, it’s a rude awakening for them.”