Back in January, we reported that Josh Gad might play Roger Ebert to Will Ferrell’s Russ Meyer in Russ & Roger Go Beyond, the story of Meyer and Ebert’s misadventures in making Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. At that time, Gad apparently hadn’t read the script for the project, but eight months later, Variety reports that he’s officially signed on. (Presumably he squeezed in a readthrough at some point.) The actor’s been pretty busy this year, having released The Wedding Ringer, starred in a one-and-done FX sitcom, and joined Disney’s live-action Beauty And The Beast. He was also in Pixels, which is a bad Adam Sandler movie but at least not the one offending Native Americans.
Russ & Roger Go Beyond tells the true story of Meyer and Ebert’s friendship, which Variety describes as “two no-holds-barred outsiders who defied the Hollywood establishment.” The script was written by The Simpsons and MADtv writer Chris Cluess, with Mark Amin’s Sobini Films and David Permut’s Permut Presentations producing along with Richard Waltzer. As it centers on a X-rated film, teenage boys everywhere will be disappointed to know the film doesn’t yet have a release date, but it will at least start production later this year.