Comedic favorites Andy Samberg and Ben Stiller are teaming up with BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg on an upcoming sci-fi film. The genre is arguably more far-reaching and diverse than ever before, with numerous titles that don’t necessarily match the traditional definition of sci-fi finding great success over recent years.
One such recent hit was Samberg’s Palm Springs – a time loop comedy very much in the vein of the Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day. The film was written by Andy Siara and starred Samberg alongside Cristin Milioti (Black Mirror). To date, it’s managed to accrue no small amount of acclaim and could potentially even be heading for Oscar recognition. The success of Palm Springs has also opened up Samberg’s career, taking the SNL alum from goofy stoner comedies into what seems to many to be a more creative stage of filmmaking. Aside from his extensive past experience on SNL, Samberg’s career carries similarities to Stiller’s, who has found comedic success with the likes of Adam Sandler and the Farrelly brothers as well as critically acclaimed filmmaker Noah Baumbach.
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According to THR, both Samberg and Stiller are set to work together on a new sci-fi film for Apple Studios. The currently unnamed project is based on an idea by BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and Siara will be taking on the film’s scripting duties. At present, it looks as though Stiller won’t star in the film, but will instead work behind the scenes as a producer. Samberg, however, will star in the film (as well as produce). Beyond these initial steps, little is known about the upcoming project.
Despite the current lack of substantial information, it’s a safe bet that if Bob-Waksberg came up with the concept, there’s a strong likelihood that the film will be highly creative. BoJack Horseman has managed to attract a significant following over the course of its six seasons, and until now, Bob-Waksberg has never made the leap from television to film. Add to this the fact that Bob-Waksberg’s concept will be fleshed out by Siara’s more than capable screenwriting abilities as well as Stiller’s experience and Samberg’s onscreen presence, and the upcoming film is already on course for something intriguing.
There was a time when the idea of a group of comedians coming up with a sci-fi film wouldn’t have elicited much excitement from either comedy or sci-fi fans. Of course, there have been exceptions to this rule, though surprisingly fewer than one would imagine. As previously mentioned, the sci-fi genre is currently enjoying a metamorphosis of sorts, and the addition of a concept from the mind that brought the world BoJack Horseman, as well as the talents of some proven comedic stars can serve to further evolve the genre. It will be interesting to see if Samberg and Siara can find the same degree of success with this project as they’ve found with Palm Springs. Should Palm Springs do well this awards season, interest in this upcoming, unnamed project could indeed be significant.
Source: THR
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