John Landis, currently seeking cinematic redemption with “Burke & Hare” starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis, is attempting to gather funds to finance a biopic of Bill Gaines, the founder of “Mad” magazine.
The publisher and co-editor of EC Comics, Gaines’ sophisticated, notoriously satirical, genre-filled comedic-horror and fantasy titles eventually drew the attention of the U.S. Congress and morality watchdogs in the 1950s, who effectively ousted the comic’s founder from the business for his work, which was viewed as depraved and conscienceless by the Comics Code Authority.
“Mad” was one of the last remaining EC Comics titles and went on to become its own magazine, thereby working around the CCA with its famous lampooning and parodies of pop culture.
Titled, “Ghoulishly Yours, William M Gaines,” the screenplay was written by Joel Eisenberg (lots of B-movie credits like, “Hollywood Vampire”). Landis directed an embarrassment of comedy riches in the late 70s/80s including pictures like “Trading Places,” “¡Three Amigos!,” “Spies Like Us,” “Coming To America,” The Blues Brothers,” and “Animal House.” The period from the ’90s on, however, is so creatively bankrupt, it’s not even worth mentioning.
Presumably, funding won’t fall into place for “Ghoulishly,” at least until financiers see how “Burke & Hare” does when it hits U.K. theaters in October. Variety originally broke the news of the project over two years ago, so it’s clearly not the easiest thing to raise money for… [Deadline]
