Back when Steve Carell was plying his trade on "The Office" on a weekly basis, we could expect to see him in maybe one or two films each summer, depending on what he could fit around his busy NBC schedule. But when his time on that show ran its course last April, Carell found himself with a lot more time on his hands to develop new projects and we'll soon be seeing more and more of those coming to fruition. The actor has "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," "Hope Springs" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" all on the horizon, and that's not including the vast number of projects Carell is attached to as a star or as a producer through his company, Carousel Productions.
Well we can add one more project to that list, because Carell is attached to an untitled mob comedy that has been picked up by Warner Bros. Carell will produce, and star in the film alongside Jake Johnson ("New Girl," "Safety Not Guaranteed"). With all this free time on his hands we're almost surprised that Carell isn't helping write the script too — he got his big break, of course, in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" which he co-wrote alongside Judd Apatow. But we're sure he'll have his hands full producing, and if you're wondering what his pedigree is as a big screen producer you need look no further than the frustratingly punctuated "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
Not much else is known about the project other than that it will be directed by Max Winkler (who helmed 2010's "Ceremony" starring Uma Thurman, Michael Angarano and the aforementioned Jake Johnson), and will be written by Rodney Rothman (who is currently better known as a producer than writer). Who knows how this one's going to pan out — like Carell, Winkler is also attached to a number of projects at the moment both as writer and director — but it's good too see Carell keeping himself busy both in front of and behind the camera.
I cannot believe that Max Winkler is getting another opportunity to make a movie. "Ceremony" wasn't just trite and unoriginal; it was a complete and total Wes Anderson rip-off. The score, the child-like illustrations, the camera angles, the production design… You name it, he ripped it off from Wes Anderson. I am shocked he hasn't received more flack for it.
Off-topic: Do you guys know what happened to Bailout, the Jack Black-Michael Winterbottom movie? It was supposed to start shooting in January and then Winterbottom went off to make The King of Soho.