Five years after its cancellation, Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal is still finding ways to make money off of the show. The Hollywood Reporter brings news that Exporting Raymond, Rosenthal's directorial debut, has been picked up for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films and slated for a nationwide release in spring of 2011.
Exporting Raymond is a documentary about Rosenthal's attempt to create a version of the hit CBS sitcom for Russian television. (Spoiler alert: the attempt, despite the reputedly hilarious roadblocks that arose during production, was a success, and the show, with the catchy title Воронины, is a big hit.) It will explore the difficulties Rosenthal encountered in tailoring the show for Russian audiences, and is generating buzz as "an unusually funny documentary". Which brings up the question: what if the documentary is funnier than the sitcom on which it was based? It's a question that may not be answered until the release of Cougar Town Goes To Nigeria sometime in 2023.