When Paramount and Dreamworks went through a nasty divorce last year (apparently Paramount was an abusive drunk), the two had to decide which studio would retain the rights to a slew of films. All the legal hulabaloo eventually left some hotly anticipated projects in development purgatory–Jay Roach’s DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS among them.
Many were thrilled at the prospect of Roach helming his first comedy since 2006’s MEET THE FOCKERS, especially one starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Sacha Baron Cohen. But the bickering studios had some of us thinking that this project may never see the light of day. Fortunately, there is a movie god, and that won’t be the case. Spyglass Entertainment will partner with Paramount to greenlight the film while DreamWorks has committed to take a 33% stake in the film once it secures its own financing.
Frankly, I think we should all forget about who’s financing what, and focus on the film itself. As of now, Cohen is out, but Rudd and Carell are scrambling to clear their schedules so that they can shoot the film. And as you already know, those dudes have good taste when it comes to comedy. So whether it’s Paramount who’s financing this film or Aunt Jemima–I think we may have a classic on our hands.
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