Jon Hammhas been on fire lately, isn’t he? TheMad Menactor has found success with his new AppleTV+ show,Your Friends and Neighbors, and is playing a private eye ina new Audible Original. And now that he’s filled up our televisions and audio queues, he’s determined to head back to the big screen as well, in a new movie that will reunite him with writer/actor/directorDavid Wain. It’s a film so audacious as to be described as “off-the-rails,” that producerAnthony Bregmanclaims the script made him laugh harder than the time he readWet Hot American Summer(a film Wain co-wrote) for the first time.
In a new report fromVariety, it was revealed that the film will star Zoey Deutch and co-writer Ken Marino (another longtime Wain collaborator). Sabrina Impacciatore (ofThe White LotusSeason 2 fame), Ben Wang, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley are also in the ensemble. Hamm will be reuniting with hisMad Menco-star John Slattery (a.k.a. Roger Sterling) in the film’s cast — although the duo did also creatively collaborate on the latter’sMaggie Moore(s), which he directed in 2023. The film is said to be “set against the backdrop of the entertainment industry,” with Deutch’s character, Gail Daughtry, a Midwestern bride-to-be, finding herself in quite the pickle after her fiancé manages to cash in on his celebrity hall pass (a.k.a. the famous person someone is allowed to sleep with even while in a committed relationship). With their relationship now in shambles, the intrepid (or delusional?) Gail “sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales,” according toVariety’s reporting of its synopsis.
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Producer Bregman released a statement about his own excitement for the project, saying:
“I have been excited about working with David for 25 years since I read what I thought was the funniest script of all time, ‘Wet Hot American Summer.’ Now, years later, I am happy to now be working with him and Ken on the only script that’s ever made me laugh harder.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring this wildly fun story to life with such a brilliant team,” explained producer Crystine Zhang for Oval-5 in her own statement. “Working with David Wain, Ken Marino and attaching this phenomenal cast — including Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm and John Slattery — has been a dream come true. I can’t wait for audiences to join us for this super wacky comedy with lots of heart.”
Curious to know more about what these fine folks have been up to of late? Keep reading in the next section below!
Wain and Marino Have A History of Comedic Collaboration
David Wain loves working with his friends. It’s why he and his friends from the comedy troupe The State have stayed so connected over the years. (The State’s members include Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Todd Holoubek, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, and David Wain.) In addition to their work in that NYU-founded comedy group turned MTV sketch show, Marino and Wain have previously collaborated onWanderlust, Childrens Hospital, andRole Models.
As Wain put it toIndieWirea few years ago when speaking about his collaborators:
“I came to a realization, and have over and over, over the years, just that: You could be making so much money, and your bank statement gets bigger and bigger, but if you’re not psyched to go to work in the morning, it doesn’t matter. It sucks. So you wanna just be psyched to see the people that you work with, and have fun with. Then you’ve won.”
Really feels like we’re all winning in this scenario though, right?
