Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have long recognized just how funny Rob Riggle is, casting him in their projects like "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby," "Step Brothers" and "The Other Guys." Now, they are rallying behind the actor to give him the lead role he's so long deserved on a pretty amazing sounding comedy project.
Ferrell and McKay's Gary Sanchez shingle are teaming with a handful of folks including Mark Wahlberg to produce an untitled HBO show, set in the '80s, that will center on a hard living and successful bond trader (Riggle) who lives "a dark, self-centered, unhealthy life." Damn. Sounds like it will be a comedy mixed with drama, and we wouldn't be surprised if the tone is somewhere along the lines of the bruising laughs of "Eastbound & Down." And that's not a far off guess we think, considering Chris Henchy, who was a producer on the show, is penning the script with frequent collaborator McKay. But Riggle as an out of control financial world dude? Hell, yeah, we could seem him nailing this and any reason to give him his own vehicle is fine by us.
This project is currently in development so no word yet on when a pilot might shoot, and even given the talent behind this, HBO has shown no mercy in cancelling shows, so it's far from a sure thing. However, the foundation is there for something great so we'll be eager to see who gets drawn in to work with Riggle in front of the camera on this project. For now, you can see him steal some scenes in "21 Jump Street" and watch a highlight reel of his work below. [Deadline]