Ben Stiller Will Confront Past Failures In Mike White’s ‘Brad Status’
It’s been almost a decade since we’ve seenMike Whitedirect a feature film. Of course, the screenwriter behindThe Good GirlandSchool of Rockhas been busy sinceYear of the Dog. Most notably, he created and wrote HBO’sEnlightened, a beautiful, often heartbreaking show that didn’t last long enough. He directed six episodes of the series, but now he has another feature in the works.Ben Stilleris in final negotiations to star in White’sBrad Statusas a man confronting his failures.
Below, learn more about the Mike White project.
This isn’t the first time Stiller and White have crossed paths. The actor has a memorable cameo inOrange Country(“Why aren’t you wearing your pants, Joe?"), which White wrote, butBrad Statusmarks their first major collaboration. Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE) is financing the comedy, andBrad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is producing it.
Here’s how the film is described in the press release:
The film centers around Brad, who despite a good career and happy family, is obsessed with the better fortunes of his old friends from school. While escorting his son on an East Coast tour of colleges, Brad is forced to confront his friends and his feelings of failure – with hilarious and poignant results.
The story sounds right up Mike White’s alley; he often writes about failure, following characters struggling with how their lives turned out. “Hilarious and poignant results” is typically what we end up with when White tells a story about failure, especially in the case ofEnlightened.
In a statement, SKE’s PresidentJohn Penottiand SKE President of ProductionCarla Hackensays White’s voice rings loud and clear inBrad Status:
Mike White’s bold comedic voice echoes throughout this terrifically funny, and often poignant story about family, friends and the curveballs life throws our way. Ben Stiller has that rare ability to balance his amazing comedic skills with an emotional depth that brings us all closer to his characters. He’s so perfect for this great part. We’re proud to be in business with Plan B on this terrific project.
White will start shooting the film this September. Years ago, he wasbriefly attachedto directPride and Prejudice and Zombies, but due to scheduling, he stepped down from directing. White also had another project at HBO,Mamma Dallas, that didn’t get picked up. As for Ben Stiller, he most recently completedanother filmwithWhile We’re Youngwriter/director Noah Baumbach, titledThe Meyerowitz Stories, which co-stars Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson.
