Bradley Cooper‘s sophomore directorial effort, “Maestro,” a biopic about legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, hits Netflix later this year. But even with that film still in the post-production process, Cooper already has his next directing gig lined up. And according to Deadline, it sees the actor/director star alongside his longtime friend Will Arnett.
READ MORE: Bradley Cooper Says ‘Maestro’ Probably Won’t Come Out Until Fall 2023
Deadline report that Cooper joins the Searchlight pic “Is This Thing On?,” written by Arnett and Mark Chappell. And along with directing and starring in the feature, Cooper will likely do a treatment of Arnett and Chappell’s script, too. But he’ll have to wait until after the WGA writers’ strike ends; Arnett turned in a script draft before the strike began, but further creative work remains on hold. As for the plot “Is This Thing On”? It’s under wraps for now.
With Cooper on board to star, direct, and very likely a writing credit, it’s no surprise he also produces the project. He’ll do so through his Lea Pictures banner with Arnett and Kris Thykier. As for executive producers, John Bishop leads the charge there.
As noted earlier, Cooper’s hard at work wrapping up “Maestro,” which already has awards season buzz at its back. Other recent credits for him include reprising his role as Rocket Raccoon in “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” and a brief cameo in “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” His last starring role came back in late 2021 in Guillermo Del Toro‘s “Nightmare Alley.” On the production side of things, Cooper backs Todd Phillips‘ “Joker: Folie á Deux,” in theaters on October 4, 2024.
Like Cooper, Arnett’s done a lot of voice work recently, including “Minions: The Rise Of Gru,” and “Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers.” He also starred in “SmartLess: On the Road,” a doc about the North American tour of the “SmartLess” podcast Arnett hosts with Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman. Up next for Arnett? He co-stars alongside Michael Fassbender in Taika Waititi‘s “Next Goal Wins,” which hits theaters later this year. Arnett also helps produce Peacock‘s “Twisted Metal” series, premiering on the streamer this summer.
It’s cool that old friends Cooper and Arnett team up for an upcoming pic, but fans must wait until after the WGA strike to discover what “Is This Thing On?” is all about. Could it be Cooper’s first foray into directing something a little more lighthearted than his first two films? It’s a safe bet.
