Having a $500 million dollar hit with "Ted," leading Fox's animation domination with "Family Guy," and set to host the Oscars in February, things are going pretty well for Seth MacFarlane. And he's not wasting any time in striking while the iron is hot, as he's lining up his next movie outing, and no, it's not going to be the feature version of his hit show that he recently talked about.
Instead, MacFarlane is going to tackle the tough territory of the comedy western with "A Million Ways To Die In The West." He has re-teamed with his "Ted" co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, along with backers Media Rights Capital, for a "Blazing Saddles"-style picture set in the 1800s with "contemporary humor" and a particular focus on just how "painful and dangerous" life was back then. MacFarlane will star, presumably in human form and not as animated horse or something, with a role available for a romantic female lead as well.
The movie isn't linked up to a distributor just yet, but we'd wager folks will be circling, particularly if MacFarlane goes over like gangbusters at the Dolby Theater in a couple of months. Plans are to shoot the movie next summer, but the multi-hyphenate won't be stepping away entirely from the small screen. He's booked a guest role on "The Simpsons" for next fall on an episode titled "Dangers On A Train." He'll play Ben, a man who romances Marge after she mistakenly logs into an Ashley Madison-type website, and they bond over a shared interest in the hit PBS show "Upton Rectory" (ha ha). [THR/E!]