While “The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters” documentarian Seth Gordon got off to a rough start in his narrative filmmaking career with the Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn-starring “Four Christmases” in 2008, he’s had a nice rebound with this past summer’s serviceable comedy “Horrible Bosses,” and a slate of projects that include the Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman vehicle “Identity Theft” (shooting this summer), an ill-advised remake of “WarGames,” and the long-gestating faux documentary redo of “The King of Kong.”
Now Gordon has added another flick to his already full plate, with “The Has-beens” over at New Line from a script by “The Colbert Report” regular Max Werner. New Line is keeping the lid tight on this one’s story, but this isn’t the first project Gordon has done for the studio, with both 'Christmases' and 'Bosses' under the same roof. You’ll remember Universal has “Identity Theft” pegged for a May 10, 2013 release, so we’re guessing Gordon will probably hit this soon after since both “War Games” and “The King of Kong” remakes seem a ways off. As for Werner, it’ll be interesting to see what someone with a sharp enough wit to write for Colbert will do for a comedy script, and we’ll get an even better idea when the upcoming Werner-penned teen comedy “Fun Size” from “The O.C.” honcho Josh Schwartz hits theaters in October.
We like Gordon, but haven’t exactly been blown away by any of his comedies just yet, so here’s to hoping “Identity Theft,” and “The Has-beens” -– and maybe even that “Horrible Bosses” sequel –- instill a little more faith in us. [Variety]