Comedy Centers On Two Idjits That Kill A Grandma, But Then Meet Her Hot Granddaughters, HEY-O!
Considering how in-demand “Zombieland” writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are, it’s no real surprise the screenwriters are going to get their shot at directing, which seems to be the natural evolution of things these days (see Charlie Kaufman, William Monaghan, “I Love You Phillip Morris” directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa to name a recent few.).
The pair, who have already been tapped to write high-profile Hollywood projects like “G.I. Joe 2” (Paramount), “Deadpool” (Fox), and “Cowboy Ninja Viking,” (Disney) have decided on their debut directorial effort and curiously enough, the comedy is not something the duo wrote themselves.
Originally titled, “Doc And Howie Whack A Grannny,” the 2009 Blacklist script was written by TV writer/producer Steve Leff, and centers on a pair of idiots who accidentally kill an elderly woman after they try and help her up a flight of stairs with her groceries.
Now simply titled “Doc And Howie,” the script is said to have a “Harold And Kumar” -like vibe which stands to reason as the fortuitous twist of the accident brings the two doofuses closer to the old lady’s two hot granddaughters, but now they’re faced with the moral quandary of whether they should tell the truth. Honestly, it sounds rote, but this writer hasn’t read it, so maybe it’s worth a read.
Montecito Pictures is producing and their first-look deal with Paramount suggests that’ll be the studio that releases the film, likely sometime in 2012. Production is gearing up to begin next summer, which means we’ll probably hear about casting sometime early next year.
Sounds like something perfect for on-the-rise TV actors to take and/or unknowns. Kal Penn and John Cho weren’t exactly stars before the “Harold And Kumar” films. Reese and Wernick also have “Earth Vs. Moon” in development at Universal, “Zombieland 2” (in 3D) over at Columbia and since everyone seems to want a piece of them, it surely won’t be the only studio gig they add to their growing list. [THR]