By Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly pitched a project that he and Phil Johnston have been working on to Paramount Studios, and they must have liked what they heard because word is they shelled out some serious cash to buy it. The material developed thus far suggests that it will follow the misadventures of a James Bond-esque character and his long lost bumbling brother.
Cohen and Johnston will start working on a genuine script now that Paramount has picked up the project, and while nothing has been mentioned, I would think odds are good that Cohen will be donning a tuxedo before all is said and done.
Cohen is currently engaged in a production contract with Paramount that allows them first pass on his projects, and considering the world-wide success of the The Dictator to the tune of $160 million, I can understand why. The question on my mind is how the film will fair as a piece of narrative. Cohen seems to be moving in a direction that combines his comedic sensibilities for shock and improvisation with the structure of a more traditional comedy, which seems to be met with varying degrees of success. But who knows, maybe this will be the this generation’s Spy Hard or Austin Powers.
[via Variety]