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EXCLUSIVE: Justin Theroux has been set to rewrite and direct Swear To God, a Warner Bros comedy that will star Will Ferrell and Steve Carell. They are looking to get this one into production next July. Gary Sanchez is producing.
Theroux, who scripted Tropic Thunder and who wrote with an eye to direct Zoolander 2, will helm a two-hander comedy in which Ferrell will play a narcissistic hedge fund manager who thinks he has seen God. Ferrell would make the film after he reprises local newscaster Ron Burgundy in the Anchorman sequel.
This is a surprise in that Warner Bros doesn’t usually spark to new directors, but they have embraced Theroux, who will be rewriting a script by Due Date scribes Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland. Adam McKay and Ferrell and Chris Henchy will produce this for Gary Sanchez. This comes as the label tomorrow releases the Jay Roach-directed The Campaign, starring Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis with Warner Bros.
Carell is just opening alongside Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in Hope Springs. He also stars in the Lorene Scafaria-directed Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, and has reprised voicing Gru in Despicable Me 2. He also stars opposite Jim Carrey in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Ferrell is repped by CAA and Mosaic, and Carell is repped by WME and Media Four’s Steve Sauer. and Theroux is repped by CAA. WB’s Jon Berg, a producer on Elf, is overseeing this.
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You might want to know that there is no Gary Sanchez. It’s a made-up name Will and Adam McKay came up with for their production company.
Well I think WB does spark to new directors. Even ones who were producer secretaries. Even ones who don’t write. Even ones who didn’t go to a school or have never directed a short.
ROB LORENZ sucks.
Also, this would be Justin Theroux’s second directorial effort – he directed DEDICATION years ago.
There are quite a few second-time directors that Warners has employed recently – it’s not that rare.
Rob Lorenz paid his dues. Shut it, you bitter fool.
Justin is great writer( Tropic Thunder/ iron man 2)and actor
Iron Man 2 was a lot of things, but great (or even passably good) it was not. He should leave the writing to his Uncle.
Pleeeassee be anti-religious and actually funny…no one needs another Evan Almighty..
He’s an incredibly talented and charismatic actor but it’s a whole lot of toxic ego and insecurity that he wants to rewrite this script and makes a point of announcing it as such as if to make the writers who came up with the concept and who wrote the script everyone got on board with as less significant. If he was smart and not so insecure he could give notes to the writers and work with them the way a director should. Movies are not better with directors who think they can write pissing all over them. I realize he has some previous shared credits as a writer but this announcement makes him sound pathetic and credit grabbing. He’s no friend to writers.
Seriously? Where did you get all of that from? Jerry Weintraub a major and very respected producer has tapped Theroux to direct a comedy heist film based on a script Theroux wrote. Theroux has an animated show in development at Fox. Not to mention Theroux has a bunch of other writing credits under his belt. And while you suggest Theroux released this, I’m pretty sure this announcement that most likely came from Warner Bros. There is nothing weird or egocentric about any of this, especially since the announcement makes note of the other writers involved in this project.
I’ve got no dog in the fight. But, as an outside observer, it’s your post that sounds insecure (and bitter, and enraged).
Sadly I agree with you Producer. TT was shared, Rock of Ages was a mess and shared and Iron Man 2 was awful. Has he ever written an original script or does he just climb on the backs of writers who don’t have famous friends to hold them up so they get sacked?
Real writers don’t prey on other writer’s work. They respect it.
I’m sick of very insecure directors claiming they have a to rewrite a good script to make it their own as if writing is something you learned in the car on the way to the meeting. It’s credit hogging and diminishes good writing.
Mehn…you don’t sound bitter at all…….!!!! Now go sit in a corner,…
I think Justin Theroux is a talented character actor and he should do more acting and less writing and directing. Ironman 2 was the worst of all of the Marvel movies and Rock of Ages was a disaster. He is lucky he has CAA who reps his girlfriend and got him this job since they represent Will Ferrell. Otherwise there is no way Warner Brothers would hire him after the bomb that was his first movie. Just because you date a celebrity doesn’t mean you can write and direct. This announcement should really be about how CAA packages movies and not a puff piece about Justin Theroux.
Right, because being the significant other of someone famous just gets you green-lit for work and with major studios for writing and directing gigs. Sure. Totally reasonable response. /snark
It seems like the bitter people who troll the celeb sites have decided to drop in on the Deadline commenting section. Rock of Ages was a disaster because of the casting, not the script. That’s why Theroux still gets all kinds of work. He makes millions doing re-writes and polishes as a script doctor on top of all of his other writing projects.
And as Guest said, studios don’t green light huge projects like this just because you’re dating Jennifer Aniston. Whether Theroux is repped by CAA or not I seriously doubt Ferrell and Carell said to themselves, “Oh, you’re Jen’s boyfriend, sure, I’ll put my career in your hands because of that.”
Get a grip Melanie.
Melanie’s a lot closer to the reality of Hollywood than you think. How else do you explain Jaden Smith as Karate Kid, Connor Cruise in Red Dawn remake, etc. Whether it’s sexism, nepotism, relationship-ism … ok, I made the last one up…. all this crap is alive and well in a town that is as much about favors as any. Theroux seems modestly talented but unlikely he’s more qualified to pull this off than others on the short list.
What! Cronyism in Hwood??
Say it isn’t so!
As much as it pains certain people to admit Melanie is far closer to the reality of this biz. Theroux’s access and indeed ambition have increased since he hooked up with CAA princess Aniston. Duh! Obviously she wants him to increase his profile. That’s how she operates. And obviously her lapdogs have been working the phones to make it happen. And here you go.
To pretend this is based on talent and talent alone is, to put it nicely, disingenuous. If that were so we’d see a shitload more films from talents like Mike Mills and Tom McCarthy. I mean seriously – citing Iron Man as writing talent credential? Rock of Ages? Brother, please.
Btw he was not the sole writer of TT. Let’s be clear.
So I’m guessing Aniston and CAA went back in time to before she was dating Theroux and got him the writing/directing gig for Zoolander 2 as well. Yeah, right.
Not sure how you can even compare this to Jaden Smith. His parents produced that film and no major star put their careers on the line for that. Same with Connor Cruise.
This situation is completely different. I can’t imagine a huge star like Will Ferrell or Steve Carell would put their careers into the hands of Justin Theroux just because he was dating Jennifer Aniston.
On what planet do you people live on that you would think they would risk that?
Agreed. Justin Theroux is an interesting actor – NOT a great writer. (Can’t comment on his directing.) “Rock of Ages” and “Iron Man 2″ were awful. “Tropic Thunder” had its moments but was basically a mess.
Just another example of failing upwards in Hollywood. Execs will hire you if you’ve made a studio movie, ANY studio movie, regardless if it was good or made money. They seem to have no ability to spot talent and nurture it; only the ability to hire the same hacks over and over again.
One of the sad truths it took me years to accept was that a lot of people in Hollywood have no ability to recognize talent. I’m not commenting on Theroux, I don’t really know his work, but I’m constantly astounded at how many people who are supposed to know a good script when they see one– agents, execs, etc. have basically no idea.
Theroux has access. He’s a really good actor and has a wonderful screen presence. I don’t think he’s any great shakes as a writer even if he has some deals thrown his way. It’s all about the company you keep in Hollywood. I’ve never read an original script of his that has the muscle of a Tony Gilroy, the emotional insight of Steve Zallian or the humor of Michael Arndt. In fact I just keep seeing his name attached to others hard work.
I loved him as an actor in John Adams but I haven’t dug his writing. He’s in that Hollywood boys club that makes studio heads feel like they might be cool so they throw dough at him. It’s pretty sad that this business feeds on insecurity instead of talent. Has he ever written an original script or is he a re-write parasite?