- Remember Napoleon Dynamite starring Jon Heder? Sure, it was funny the first time, but then everybody starting saying, "Daaaaang." Director and screenwriter Craig Zobel is hoping to strike box office gold with Heder with the comedy Loudermilk.Hot on the heels of The Dark Knight and Iron Man, Loudermilk is the story of a young man (Heder) who becomes contaminated and gains superpowers. While this sounds like an average superhero movies, there's a catch: Heder's character is an awkward, quirky Napoleon Dynamite type. The original idea came from Heder and his two brothers, which was picked up by Universal in 2006. Since then, the film has bounced around writers since then, mostly set back by the writers' strike. Zobel joined the project after the strike ended to rewrite the script and, subsequently, direct.Heder and his brothers has producing the film through their own Greasy Entertainment label. Doug Heder stated,
- 7/14/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
Craig Zobel has been tapped to rewrite and direct the comedy "Loudermilk" for star Jon Heder at Rogue Pictures. Heder, his identical twin brother Dan and their older brother Doug are producing through their Greasy Entertainment shingle.
"Loudermilk" centers on a Napoleon Dynamite-like oddball who becomes contaminated with a substance that gives him what might arguably be considered superpowers. "That blessing does not come without its consequences and costs," Doug Heder said.
Universal bought "Loudermilk," an original idea from the Heders, as a pitch from writer Chris Bowman in 2006 as the first project of the Heder brothers' first-look deal. Ultimately, they took the project to Andrew Rona at Uni wing Rogue just before the writers strike, and Zobel came aboard to move it forward once the labor dispute was resolved.
Zobel co-wrote and directed the festival hit "Great World of Sound," which Magnolia Pictures released. The film was nominated for best first feature at the Independent Spirit Awards this year and best film at the 2007 Gotham Awards, where Zobel picked up the breakthrough director honor.
Said Doug Heder: "What's so cool about Craig is that his first film, 'Great World of Sound,' has this very cinema-verite style, and we want to bring that style into 'Loudermilk.' We want this to feel very real, even though it has a fantasy element to it."
Zobel, repped by Gersh, studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts with his "Sound" co-writer George Smith (also a Gersh client) and writer-director David Gordon Green, who's repped by CAA. Zobel worked as a production manager on several of Green's early films and appears to have absorbed the influence of Green's career path: earnest indie dramas followed by a midbudget mainstream comedy (in Green's case, this summer's upcoming "Pineapple Express").
Zobel also is a co-founder of the cult comedy site HomestarRunner.com.
The Heder clan is repped by CAA and Mosaic Media. They also have "Mr. Machine," a co-production with Imagine, set up at Universal, with Green and Danny McBride co-writing the script. And Mark Steven Johnson is adapting the supernatural comedy "Three Men Seeking Monsters," a Greasy co-production with Atchity Entertainment International, also at Universal.
" 'Loudermilk' is definitely intended to set the tone for Greasy Entertainment," Doug Heder said. "Our goal has always been to be the low- to midbudget-range comedies. We want to specialize in that field -- obviously tapping into Jon's core audience from 'Napoleon Dynamite' and 'Blades of Glory' but really specializing in those kind of character-driven, less-expensive comedies."...
"Loudermilk" centers on a Napoleon Dynamite-like oddball who becomes contaminated with a substance that gives him what might arguably be considered superpowers. "That blessing does not come without its consequences and costs," Doug Heder said.
Universal bought "Loudermilk," an original idea from the Heders, as a pitch from writer Chris Bowman in 2006 as the first project of the Heder brothers' first-look deal. Ultimately, they took the project to Andrew Rona at Uni wing Rogue just before the writers strike, and Zobel came aboard to move it forward once the labor dispute was resolved.
Zobel co-wrote and directed the festival hit "Great World of Sound," which Magnolia Pictures released. The film was nominated for best first feature at the Independent Spirit Awards this year and best film at the 2007 Gotham Awards, where Zobel picked up the breakthrough director honor.
Said Doug Heder: "What's so cool about Craig is that his first film, 'Great World of Sound,' has this very cinema-verite style, and we want to bring that style into 'Loudermilk.' We want this to feel very real, even though it has a fantasy element to it."
Zobel, repped by Gersh, studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts with his "Sound" co-writer George Smith (also a Gersh client) and writer-director David Gordon Green, who's repped by CAA. Zobel worked as a production manager on several of Green's early films and appears to have absorbed the influence of Green's career path: earnest indie dramas followed by a midbudget mainstream comedy (in Green's case, this summer's upcoming "Pineapple Express").
Zobel also is a co-founder of the cult comedy site HomestarRunner.com.
The Heder clan is repped by CAA and Mosaic Media. They also have "Mr. Machine," a co-production with Imagine, set up at Universal, with Green and Danny McBride co-writing the script. And Mark Steven Johnson is adapting the supernatural comedy "Three Men Seeking Monsters," a Greasy co-production with Atchity Entertainment International, also at Universal.
" 'Loudermilk' is definitely intended to set the tone for Greasy Entertainment," Doug Heder said. "Our goal has always been to be the low- to midbudget-range comedies. We want to specialize in that field -- obviously tapping into Jon's core audience from 'Napoleon Dynamite' and 'Blades of Glory' but really specializing in those kind of character-driven, less-expensive comedies."...
- 7/14/2008
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Universal Pictures has found Three Men Seeking Monsters, a cryptozoological travelogue by Nick Redfern. Jon, Doug and Dan Heder are producing through their Universal-based Greasy Entertainment as is Ken Atchity via his Atchity Entertainment International.
Published in 2004 by Paraview, "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men" tells how the author, a baldheaded punker, and his two friends -- a goth herpetologist who dresses like a pirate and a 6-foot-6-inch, 400-pound behemoth who wears a Sherlock Holmes cap -- set off on a six-week, alcohol-infused road trip investigating monster myths around Great Britain.
Scott Bernstein is overseeing for Universal.
AEI's Chi-li Wong will act as executive producer, while Mike Kuciak, who found the book for Atchity, will be co-producer.
AEI has a slew of adventure-themed projects set up around town, including Demon Keeper at Fox 2000; Ripley's Believe It or Not at Paramount, with Jim Carrey attached to star and Tim Burton attached to direct; and Meg at New Line.
Published in 2004 by Paraview, "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men" tells how the author, a baldheaded punker, and his two friends -- a goth herpetologist who dresses like a pirate and a 6-foot-6-inch, 400-pound behemoth who wears a Sherlock Holmes cap -- set off on a six-week, alcohol-infused road trip investigating monster myths around Great Britain.
Scott Bernstein is overseeing for Universal.
AEI's Chi-li Wong will act as executive producer, while Mike Kuciak, who found the book for Atchity, will be co-producer.
AEI has a slew of adventure-themed projects set up around town, including Demon Keeper at Fox 2000; Ripley's Believe It or Not at Paramount, with Jim Carrey attached to star and Tim Burton attached to direct; and Meg at New Line.
![Chris Bowman](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGQ2OWI4OWMtMDgxNy00ZjUwLTg1MjEtMDZlMWNjM2RkYjA1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjk4MTAxNzU@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Chris Bowman](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGQ2OWI4OWMtMDgxNy00ZjUwLTg1MjEtMDZlMWNjM2RkYjA1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjk4MTAxNzU@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Universal Pictures has pre-emptively picked up Loudermilk, a comedy pitch from Chris Bowman with Jon Heder attached to star. Heder also is producing with his brothers Dan and Doug Heder via their Universal-based shingle Greasy Entertainment. The project is the first to be acquired since Greasy set up shop at the studio in January. The story details of Loudermilk are being kept under wraps, though it is known to be a high-concept comedy.
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