The unlikely – but true – story of how film journalist Roger Ebert and thrifty-budget cinematic showman Russ Meyer came to work together was always destined to become a film. Russ & Roger Go Beyond has been developing for a while and Josh Gad has locked in the role of Ebert.
Will Ferrell was attached to this one first, after flirting with the idea last August. Since then, Michael Winterbottom has come aboard to direct, working on a new draft of the script with Partridge/Veep laugh-generating experts Neil and Rob Gibbons.
Originally Written by Saturday Night Live and Simpsons veteran Christopher Cluess, the comedy focuses on Meyer's late 1960s desire to combine his pulp talents with big studio backing, hashing out a deal with 20th Century Fox boss Richard Zanuck to produce something for a low budget. Targeting soft-core tale Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, Meyer approached Ebert, then a low-on-the-roster film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, who had written one of the few positive reviews of a Meyer film. Despite the seeming gulf between their sensibilities, they meshed well, partied hard and ended up producing a film that struggled with the ratings board (eventually landing an X) and sparking a friendship that would last until Meyer died in 2004.
Gad had been circling the Ebert role for a while, and needed to figure out if his schedule could accommodate the shoot, set for later this year. He’ll be heard in the Angry Birds movie, which will be flung into our cinemas on May 13 next year. And he’s also part of the cast for Disney’s new live-action Beauty And The Beast, though we’ll have to wait until March 17, 2017 for that one.
from Empire News
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