Besides Bradley Cooper, outside of the “The Hangover” movies, The Wolfpack — namely Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis — haven’t yet proved their names alone can bring in decent box office receipts. Earlier this year, the Helms-led “Cedar Rapids” brought in a fairly underwhelming $6 million, though the picture did have some decent legs in limited release. Meanwhile, Galifianakis’ dramedy “It’s Kind Of A Funny Story” also petered out at $6 million last fall. Sure, he starred in “Due Date” as well, but that was mostly sold on its connection between Todd Phillips and “The Hangover,” and it certainly didn’t hurt that Robert Downey Jr. was the co-star in the movie. But the bottom line is both are very funny guys, and if leading man status isn’t here just yet, it’s undoubtedly around the corner, so it’s no surprise that Ben Stiller‘s Red Hour Films is getting behind another Helms vehicle.
Variety reports that Helms is teaming with Red Hour to produce and star in a remake of the French comedy “Le Mac.” The original starred José Garcia and tells the story of a mild-mannered banker who is forced to masquerade as a notorious gangster and pimp. Seems like a solid material for Helms’ everyman persona to get in some spirited hijinks. Johnny Rosenthal (“Bad Santa 2“) pitched the idea and will also write the script.
With “Le Mac” just starting its development journey, Helms returns to “The Office” this fall but he’s got another big screen appearance in the can. The Duplass Brothers‘ “Jeff Who Lives At Home” co-starring Jason Segel premieres at TIFF this month, will make a stop at the Hamptons Film Festival before making its way to theaters on March 2, 2012.
