Will Ferrell Promises His Bush On Broadway Will Surprise

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Will Ferrell says audiences should expect the unexpected from his upcoming one-man Broadway show and HBO special about President George W. Bush.

Ferrell, known for his Bush impersonation on "Saturday Night Live," said Friday there's nothing derivative about the production. He says it will surprise people with its twists and turns and what it has to say about Bush.

Executive producer Adam McKay says the show aims to be funny but also hold the Bush administration's feet to the fire.

McKay and Ferrell spoke to the Television Critics meeting in the Los Angeles area by satellite from New York.

"Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush" is set to begin previews Jan. 20 and open Feb. 5. It will air live on HBO March 14.

Comments

[AlexNY918]

I can't wait for this show!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/66c84fd4a5/broadwayspace-will-ferrell-on-his-broadway-debut-from-broadwayspace

[daedelus]

Not to undermine all the expert criticism here, but I worked on a couple of promos for the HBO special a few weeks ago, and Ferrell had the entire company in convulsions. I had to leave the stage several times to compose myself.

[NewBritan]

More likely, you left the stage to defecate.

[daedelus]

Do you have to actually think before you make your comments, or do they just fall out of your head?

[JayZee]

"I'll use this weapon on the devil horse if I have to."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkqrI3IibYI

HA! I can't wait to see this....

President Chucklenuts should be glad we're throwing laughs at him instead of shoes, bricks, torches, WMD's etc.

[deadcustodian]

and pitchforks

[harriettubman]

After seeing Stepbrothers I don't know if I'll ever watch another Will Ferrell movie. That was the sorriest, most stupid and nasty film. It seems like he'll do any script offered to him.

[ltfcrazy]

Are you kidding me? How seriously do you take yourself?

[Melissa]

This will be a flop. There is nothing talented about this this guy. His movies are awful.

[TwentyCharactersLong]

His George W. Bush is actually pretty good. Go look for the SNL video with him and Tina Fey as Palin.

[woodnthrifty]

George W. Bush......can't we just forget about him already!

[DocSyracuse]

Aren't folks, even the ones on the left, getting a bit tired of Bush satire at this point? It's so 2008. Let's move on already.

[leatherbunny]

Funnyordie is such a great site. Love Will Ferrell as President Bush. I laugh thinking about it. Can't wait to see the "Final Night with George Bush" on HBO.

[stephanemot]

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a preview video on YouTube with flying shoes. A little bit too farcical to sound true.

[realitycheck7]

to bad all of the negative critics would not be able to get on stage and make someone laugh if their life depended on it

unless they tried to make an intelligent comment, that would be hilarious

[Britishdemocrat]

I bought the Best of Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live on DVD and thought all of it was great. But his impression of Bush is the best part of the DVD. He has the impression of Bush spot on with the way he dresses and the accent of: 'my fellow Americans'. Very funny.

[Rider3]

Personally, I like his impersonation GWB -- I'm looking forward to seeing this.

[SwingingFromCenter]

Ferrell will never surprise, because every character of his is exactly the same.

Semi-Pro: Clueless, self-absorbed basketball player with a heart of gold
Blades of Glory: Clueless, self-absorbed skater with a heart of gold
Anchorman: Clueless, self-absorbed anchorman with a heart of gold
Curious George: Clueless, self-absorbed guy in a yellow hat with a heart of gold
Old-School: Clueless, self-absorbed guy going through a mid-life crisis with a heart of gold.

The only thing that changes in anything he does is his "profession". IT'S THE SAME CHARACTER PEOPLE. The guy has zero range.

[Sonny50]

Come on, is this Joan Rivers?

[foodtube]

I guess in this show Ferrell will play a clueless, self-absorbed president.... but will he have the heart of gold?

[Lamethrower]

Maybe that's the surprise Ferrell is talking about. Nobody will expect to see it coming when you're talking about Shrub Jr. Good list btw. I applied that clueless self absorbed thing to every movie he did on IMDB and you're right, I couldn't find a single one that he didn't fit the description. Closest I came was Stranger than Fiction, but even in that one he pretty much met the description, aside from not being totally self absorbed.

[realitycheck7]

well compared to your illustrious comedy career, anyone looks bad

[stubbhead]

Actually, he was phenomenal in "The Producers." Although I am not a fan of his movies, his opening scene in "The Producers" was probably the funniest part of a very funny movie.

[garlicpowder]

I had no idea there was a Curious George movie. I'll have to buy it.

Nice try dude, but Will Ferrell absolutely does not have a heart of gold in Semi-Pro, Anchorman, or Old-School. I doubt he has a heart of gold in Blades of Glory but the three I listed in a row are at least half hilarious. Its stlll the same clueless, self-absorbed character that he played in Talledega Nights, but hes hilarious. One mans junk is another mans treasure.

[SwingingFromCenter]

You obviously fell asleep before the ends of those movies. Look back at it. There's always some outside element (a woman, a dance partner, whatever) that melts his heart and shows what a "lovable goof" he is by the end of the flick. It's a tired routine.

[newyorkjoe]

Must we prolong the presence of this wretched man after he leaves the White House? Please, Will, give it a rest. A/o Jan. 20, Bush is o-vah.

[Ontrackmac]

Any bets on whether the real Bush shows up for the show?

[unfettered]

The only surprise would be if it was funny or interesting.

[pkafin]

Will Ferell's Bush is hilarious.

I'm sorry if you're too serious to enjoy it. It really is quite a hoot.