Film critic Roger Ebert championed filmmaking throughout his legacy, and got the cinematic treatment he deserved in last year's documentary Life Itself. It appears, however, this is not the end of Ebert's on-screen tribute. The biopic Russ & Roger Go Beyond will dramatize his working relationship with director Russ Meyer, and now set to bring that tale to the screen is director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour House Party).
Winterbottom just enters talks to direct Will Ferrell in the feature, as The Hollywood Reporter notes. Ferrell attached himself to the film months ago to play Meyer. Josh Gad was rumored for the part of Ebert back in January, though it looks like negotiations did not carry through.
Produced by Permut Presentations and Sobini Films, and backed by STX Entertainment, Russ & Roger Go Beyond recounts the unusual friendship between the Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and the Chicago Tribune film critic as they directed and wrote, respectively, the X-rated, 1970s cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. It will recount their humble introductions to their battles with the ratings board and 20th Century Fox, who produced their eventual film. It comes from a screenplay by TV writer Chris Cluess (MADtv).
Winterbottom enters Russ & Roger Go Beyond after last year's The Trip to Italy and The Face of Love, as well as the new Russell Brand documentary The Emperor's New Clothes. He is also attached to The Longest Cocktail Party. There's still no word yet on when this biopic hopes to roll cameras. With the director on board, though, production should begin sooner than later, and an actor for Ebert should also come in due time.
Image courtesy of INFevents.com
There has been a critical error on your website.<\/p>
Learn more about debugging in WordPress.<\/a><\/p>","data":{"status":500},"additional_errors":[]}