The Chris Farley Biopic From Josh Gad and Paul Walter Hauser Lands at New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema has acquired the Chris Farley biopic from director Josh Gad and Paul Walter Hauser, who is set to play the hilarious fan-favorite comedian.
The film is based on the biography, The Chris Farley Show: A Biography In Three Acts, and it will be produced by Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live).
The biography was written by Farley’s brother Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby, and the project has the blessing of Farley’s family. The script will be written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist, Daisy Jones & the Six).
The description of the book reads: “No one dominated a stage the way Chris Farley did. For him, comedy was not a routine; it was a way of life. He could not enter a room unnoticed or let a conversation go without making someone laugh.
“Fans knew Chris as Saturday Night Live’s sweaty, swaggering, motivational speaker; as the irresistible Chippendales stripper; and as Tommy Callahan, the underdog hero of Tommy Boy. His family knew him as sensitive and passionate, deeply religious, and devoted to bringing laughter into others’ lives.
“But Chris did not know moderation, either in his boundless generosity toward friends or in the reckless abandon of his drug and alcohol abuse. For ten years, Chris cycled in and out of rehabilitation centers, constantly fighting his insecurities and his fears.
“Despite three hard-fought years of sobriety, addiction would ultimately take his life at the tragically young age of thirty-three. Fame on SNL and three straight number-one box office hits gave way to a string of embarrassing public appearances, followed by a fatal overdose in December 1997.
“Here is Chris Farley as remembered by his family, friends, and colleagues—the true story of a man who lived to make us laugh and died as a result.
“The Chris Farley Show is an evocative and harrowing portrait of a family trapped by addiction, a father forced to bury a son, and a gifted and kindhearted man ultimately torn apart by the demons inside him.”
I’m excited about this project and looking forward to seeing how the movie turns out!
Source: Variety