Even if you’re someone who follows the box office closely, there’s one phenomenon that’s likely to have escaped you. “The Inbetweeners Movie,” the relatively-inexpensive big-screen adaptation of the cult British teen sitcom, opened four weeks ago in the U.K, and has become an absolute box office monster, taking a bigger opening than any film this year other than “Harry Potter,” and has currently taken £39 million at the U.K. box office, and looks likely to overtake “The King’s Speech” for a place in the all-time top 20 grossers.
The film also picked up relatively good reviews, considering it’s a teen sex comedy using the well-worn tactic of sending sitcom characters on holiday for a big-screen entry, so Iain Morris and Damon Beesley, the show’ creators (who’ve also stacked up writing credits on several “Flight of the Conchords” episodes), must be feeling on top of the world. And unsurprisingly, they’re using their new cache to get another project going.
Variety report that the pair are currently at work on “Mortal,” a new comedy which will reunite them with “The Inbetweeners Movie” producer Christopher Young. The plot involves two brothers who take their friends on a trip to northern Scotland to scatter the ashes of their late father. It sounds like it might lean more in the dramedy direction than their TV hit, but we’re sure there’s plenty of room for crudity in their too. There’s no further details at present, but a first draft is complete, and considering their blockbuster success, we’re sure financiers will be lining up around the block to help them get it made. More on this one as it develops.