Will Ferrell can do broad comedy in his sleep, but lately, he’s been developing projects that potentially offer him a chance to show off some different acting muscles. He’s got "Russ & Roger Go Beyond" brewing, a movie that will see him play schlockmaster filmmaker Russ Meyer, and now comes an arctic comedy said to be in the vein of "City Slickers" (cool) and "Wild Hogs" (uh, okay).
Sony Pictures is putting together an adaptation of Guy Lawson’s The New York Times Magazine article “Ice Pack: An Insurance Salesman and a Doctor Walk Into a Bar, and End Up at the North Pole,” with Ferrell slated to star. It tells the wild, true story about insurance salesman Ralph Plaisted, doctor Art Aufderhiede, Honda dealer Walter Pederson, geography teacher Jerry Pitzel, and French Canadian Jean Luc Bombardier, who embarked on an expedition to the North Pole, despite failing a psychological stress test. Not only did they make it, they were the first team to arrive at the North Pole on Ski-doos, however, no one paid much notice to their accomplishment at the time.
No word yet on a writer or director, but if you want a taste of Lawson’s brand of tall tales, check out "War Dogs" starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller this summer, based on his article for Rolling Stone. [Deadline]
